# Canonical recap data for 1980 Quebec referendum (1980)
# Source: https://recap.at/1980/1980-quebec-referendum
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: 1980-quebec-referendum
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1980/1980-quebec-referendum"
title: 1980 Quebec referendum
aliases:
- First Quebec referendum
- 1980 sovereignty referendum
- Quebec independence vote
- Le référendum de 1980
subtitle: "On this day (05/20), 46 years ago: In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects, with 60% of the vote, a government proposal to move towards independence from Canada."
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1980-05-20
datePrecision: day
year: 1980
decade: 1980
summaryShort: The 1980 Quebec independence referendum was the first referendum in Quebec on the place of Quebec within Canada and whether Quebec should pursue a path toward sovereignty. The referendum was called by Quebec's Parti Québécois (PQ) government, which advocated secession from Canada.
summaryLong: The 1980 Quebec independence referendum was the first referendum in Quebec on the place of Quebec within Canada and whether Quebec should pursue a path toward sovereignty. The referendum was called by Quebec's Parti Québécois (PQ) government, which advocated secession from Canada.
lede: On May 20, 1980, Quebec held a referendum asking voters whether the province should negotiate independence from Canada. The Parti Québécois government had staked its political survival on the vote, but 59.6% of Quebecers chose to stay in Canada, delivering a decisive defeat to the separatist movement.
heroImageUrl: "https://live.staticflickr.com/3778/19694780198_9d8c7b75a1_b.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"Maurice Duplessis\" by Robert Cutts is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/."
importance: 50
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Vote date
  value: May 20, 1980
- label: No vote share
  value: 59.6% (1,485,851 votes)
- label: Yes vote share
  value: 40.4% (1,011,119 votes)
- label: Voter turnout
  value: 85.6%
- label: PQ government elected
  value: November 1976
- label: Premier advocating Yes
  value: René Lévesque
- label: Federal Prime Minister
  value: Pierre Trudeau
- label: Population of Quebec
  value: Approximately 6.4 million
timeline:
- date: 1976-11-15
  title: Parti Québécois elected
  description: René Lévesque's PQ wins provincial election on independence platform, ending 15 years of Liberal rule under Robert Bourassa.
- date: 1979-12-20
  title: Referendum legislation passed
  description: Quebec National Assembly passes Bill 101 establishing referendum date and Question, requiring simple majority for sovereignty-association mandate.
- date: 1980-03-15
  title: Campaign officially opens
  description: Yes and No campaigns formally launch. Lévesque frames vote as mandate to negotiate sovereignty-association; Pierre Trudeau leads federalist No campaign.
- date: 1980-05-14
  title: Final polls show No leading
  description: Survey data in final week shows No campaign ahead by 6-8 percentage points. Yes campaign scrambles to close gap in closing days.
- date: 1980-05-20
  title: Referendum held
  description: 59.6% of Quebecers vote No to sovereignty-association. Turnout reaches 85.6%, one of highest in Quebec history. Lévesque concedes defeat.
- date: 1980-05-20
  title: Lévesque's concession speech
  description: In emotional address, Lévesque tells supporters 'À la prochaine fois' (until next time), signaling separatist movement will regroup.
- date: 1980-09-02
  title: Trudeau announces patriation plan
  description: Prime Minister Trudeau announces plan to patriate Canadian Constitution from Britain, further consolidating federal authority and sidelining Quebec's concerns.
- date: 1982-04-17
  title: Constitution repatriated
  description: Constitution Act, 1982 signed. Quebec notably refuses to endorse it, creating constitutional rift that dominates Canadian politics for decades.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Quebec_referendum"
  title: 1980 Quebec referendum
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Globe and Mail
  publisherSlug: the-globe-and-mail
  headline: Quebec votes on sovereignty as separatist movement reaches critical juncture
  publishedAt: 1980-05-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Quebecers cast ballots in a historic referendum that will determine whether the province pursues independence from Canada. The Parti Québécois government, riding high on nationalist sentiment, faces a decisive test of support for its separatist platform.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: Canada
- publisher: Le Devoir
  publisherSlug: le-devoir
  headline: "FR: 'Le Québec choisit son avenir' / EN: 'Quebec chooses its future'"
  publishedAt: 1980-05-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: "FR: 'Le Québec choisit son avenir' / EN: 'Quebec chooses its future' - Quebec's nationalist press documents the referendum as a defining moment for French-Canadian identity and the future of confederation."
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: Canada
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: Quebec Independence Bid Tests Canada's Unity
  publishedAt: 1980-05-18
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The separatist Parti Québécois government calls a referendum that threatens to break up Canada's second-largest nation. Political observers across North America watch closely as one of the West's major democracies faces internal fracture.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: Canada faces Quebec secession test in landmark referendum
  publishedAt: 1980-05-19
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - British coverage of the Quebec independence vote emphasized the geopolitical implications for NATO and Western stability. London newspapers tracked the referendum as a potential watershed in postwar constitutional democracy.
  significance: 72
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: CBC News
  publisherSlug: cbc-news
  headline: Nation watches as Quebec votes on separation from Canada
  publishedAt: 1980-05-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation provided comprehensive national coverage as voters in Quebec lined up to decide the future of Confederation. The network tracked returns throughout the evening with analysis from constitutional experts and political figures.
  significance: 89
  type: tv
  region: Canada
peoplesVoice:
- source: René Lévesque, Premier of Quebec and PQ leader
  voiceType: official
  context: Lévesque framed the referendum campaign in early 1980 as Quebec's democratic moment to choose independence.
  excerpt: This is a choice between two futures. We are asking Quebecers to give us a mandate to negotiate sovereignty-association with Canada.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 90
  attribution: Campaign speech, Quebec City, March 1980
  publishedAt: 1980-03-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
  voiceType: official
  context: Trudeau campaigned vigorously against separation, warning of national disintegration and appealing to Quebec federalists.
  excerpt: If Quebec separates, it will be a tragedy. We must keep Canada united. A no vote is a vote for Canada.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 88
  attribution: Campaign rally, Montreal, May 1980
  publishedAt: 1980-05-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Claude Ryan, leader of the Quebec Liberal Party (No campaign)
  voiceType: official
  context: Ryan positioned the federalist No campaign as the responsible choice for Quebec's future within Canada.
  excerpt: "FR: 'Le Québec a besoin de rester dans le Canada pour prospérer.' / EN: 'Quebec needs to stay in Canada to prosper.'"
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 75
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - No campaign headquarters, April 1980
  publishedAt: 1980-04-25
  originalLanguage: fr
- source: Jean Chrétien, Minister of Justice, speaking on referendum night
  voiceType: official
  context: Chrétien reacted immediately after the Yes side lost by roughly 60-40 margin, affirming federalism's mandate.
  excerpt: This is a resounding victory for Canada and for those who believe in keeping our country united.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 80
  attribution: CBC television interview, May 20, 1980
  publishedAt: 1980-05-20
  originalLanguage: en
impactStatement: The referendum's defeat forced Quebec's independence movement into a two-decade hibernation and reshaped the political landscape of Canada. It also exposed fractures within the separatist coalition that would take years to repair, while emboldening Canadian federalists to pursue constitutional repatriation just months later.
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260331215450/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Quebec_referendum"
  capturedAt: 2026-03-31
  label: 1980 Quebec referendum
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Quebec_referendum"
categories: []
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- referendum
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- governance
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: The 1980 Quebec referendum asked voters to choose between sovereignty and remaining in Canada. Federalists won 59.6%.
wikidataQid: Q2064289
