| Parti National | |
| Ideology: | Quebec nationalism Autonomy Agrarianism |
| Colours: | Red |
| Blank1 Title: | Policies |
| Seats1 Title: | Seats in the National Assembly |
| Country: | Canada |
| State: | Quebec |
The Parti National was the name taken by the Liberal Party of Quebec, Canada, under the premiership of Honoré Mercier.
It was founded on November 17, 1885, the day following the execution of Métis Leader Louis Riel. Many French-speaking Catholics resented the way the federal government of Sir John A. Macdonald had Riel hanged for treason. Mercier proposed to create a broader coalition which would include Conservative dissidents as well as his Liberal base. In the following days 50,000 people gathered in the Champ de Mars in Montreal to hear Mercier voice their support for Riel.[1]
The Parti National, which was not affiliated with any federal party, promised to use the influence of the provincial government to protect the autonomy of Quebec and of its French-speaking and Catholic identity.
The party won a narrow majority of seats to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in the 1886 provincial election and took office in January 1887. It won a landslide victory in the 1890 election, doing poorly only in the Mauricie area where it was opposed by Ultramontan Catholic Bishop Louis-François Richer Laflèche.
Its achievements include:[2]
With only 18 months served in its second term of office, the National Party was caught in a corruption scandal and removed from office by Quebec Lieutenant-governor Auguste-Réal Angers. Mercier stepped down as party leader and the Liberals were overwhelmingly defeated in the 1892 election. Mercier was later cleared of all charges.[4]