From Bourassa to Bourassa: Wilderness to RestorationRobert Bourassa, a pariah after losing power to the separatist Parti Québécois in the 1976 election, emerged a decade later from political exile to lead his party back to power. As he said: "I succeeded my successor." Claude Ryan, formerly the respected publisher of Le Devoir, had led the Quebec Liberal Party and the federalist coalition to a decisive victory in the 1980 referendum on Quebec sovereignty, but the uneasy alliance of Ryan and Pierre Trudeau did not survive the prime minister's unilateral patriation of the Canadian constitution. This contributed to Ryan's defeat in the 1981 Quebec election and to Bourassa's restoration. First published to critical acclaim in 1984, this second edition of From Bourassa to Bourassa brings the story up-to-date, recounting Bourassa's landslide election victory in 1985 and his subsequent role in the Meech Lake Accord and the Canada–U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the two issues that largely defined the decade of the 1980s for Quebec and for Canada. |
Contents
A Change May Be in the Order of Things | 3 |
Picking Up the Pieces | 13 |
This Damn Word Irrevocable | 27 |
Draft Ryan | 33 |
Insider Outsider | 44 |
Scarves and Balloons | 55 |
The Ryan Express | 70 |
Observe Judge Act | 82 |
Two Hardheads | 141 |
The Heirs of Lord Acton | 152 |
The Favorite Son | 161 |
May 20 1980 | 172 |
The Silent Spring | 183 |
Bourassa Redux | 205 |
Second Debut | 233 |
Deal at Dawn | 267 |
Non merci | 92 |
IO Yvette | 100 |
Le oui et le non | 109 |
The Cousins | 121 |
Such Good Friends | 282 |
Annus Horribilis 1990 | 301 |
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Common terms and phrases
afternoon André asked Bibeau Bill cabinet called Canada Canadian candidate Casgrain Catholic Action caucus Ciaccia Claude Ryan committee conference constitutional convention debate defeat Desrochers Devoir distinct society election federal Liberals federalist finally former free trade Garneau Gérard Gérard D going Goldenberg intellectual issue Jacques Jean Chrétien Jean Lesage knew Lalonde Langevin later Le Devoir leader leadership campaign legislature Lévesque's Liberal party Lucien Bouchard Meech Lake Accord meeting Mercier Michel Montreal Mulroney Mulroney's National Assembly never night notwithstanding clause numbers Ontario Ottawa Ouellet Outremont paign Parisella Parizeau party's Pelletier Péquiste percent Peterson Pierre Bibeau Pierre Trudeau Pinard political polls Poupart PQ's premier prime minister prime minister's provinces Quebec City Quebec Liberals question Raynauld recalled referendum Rémillard René Lévesque reporters riding Robert Bourassa role Ryan's seats Senate speech talk television thing thought tion told vote voters wanted week