2004 Democratic Primary

[Canadian observer]

Except Hague, I don't know any of the candidates.  Would you provide a short bio of them :-)

[Canadian observer]

Import from the old forum

[Canadian observer]

Here’s my original suggestion list for all 435 elected representatives from the old forum.  Their names are inspired by localities, counties and historical events or people.  I even suggest names for some at-large districts. :-).  The list consists in a series of post, the new forum doen't seem to accept long posts.

ALABAMA (7)
1. La Mobile (Former Spanish name of Alabama’s oldest city)
2. Montgomery-Dothan
3. Montgomery-Tuskegee
4. Pinckney (1795 Treaty name that gave most of Alabama’s territory to the US)
5. Hunts
6. Jefferson-Shelby
7. Birmingham-Tuscaloosa

ALASKA (1)
1. Bering

[Canadian observer]

ARIZONA (
1. Apache and Navajo
2. Mohave
3. Maricopa-North Phoenix
4. Phoenix
5. Northeast Maricopa
6. Maricopa-Mesa
7. Tucson-Yuma
8. Cochise

ARKANSAS (4)
1. Arkansas Post (1st Arkansas state capital)
2. Little Rock
3. Fayetteville
4. Quapaw (Indian people living in Arkansas until the early 19th century)

[Canadian observer]

CALIFORNIA (53)

1. Eureka-Napa and West Sacramento
2. Yuba
3. Sacramento-Solano
4. Lake Tahoe
5. Sacramento
6. Marin
7. San Pablo Bay
8. San Francisco
9. Oakland
10. Solano-Fairfield
11. Alameda-San Joaquim
12. South San Francisco
13. Alameda-San Francisco Bay
14. Palo Alto
15. Santa Clara
16. San Jose
17. Monterey
18. Merced and Modesto
19. Yosemite
20. Fresno-Kings
21. Sequoia
22. Kern
23. Santa Barbara-San Luis
24. Ventura
25. Death Valley
26. Pacheco (1st Native Californian governor)
27. Northridge
28. San Fernando
29. Burbank
30. Beverly-Malibu
31. Hollywood
32. Northeast Los Angeles
33. Culver-Northwest Los Angeles
34. Central Los Angeles
35. Inglewood-West Los Angeles
36. Santa Monica Bay
37. South Los Angeles
38. East Los Angeles
39. Southeast Los Angeles
40. Orange-Stanton
41. Bernardino Heights
42. Orange-Yorba Linda
43. San Bernardino
44. Orange-Corona
45. Joshua
46. Long Beach
47. Anaheim
48. West Orange
49. San Diego-East Riverside
50. East San Diego
51. South San Diego-Imperial
52. West San Diego
53. San Diego Bay

[Canadian observer]

COLORADO (7)
1. Denver
2. Boulder-Summit
3. Upper Colorado
4. Gilpin (1st territorial governor in 1861)
5. Colorado Springs
6. South Denver-Arapahoe
7. North Denver

CONNECTICUT (5)
1. Hartford
2. New London
3. New Haven
4. Trumbull (CT Governor during the American Revolution)
5. Litchfield

DELAWARE (1)
1. Delaware

[Canadian observer]

FLORIDA (25)
1. Pensacola
2. Tallahassee-Gulf
3. Jacksonville-St. Johns
4. DuVal (2nd FL territorial governor (1822-1834), after Andrew Jackson)
5. Citrus
6. Bradford-Clay-Marion
7. St. Augustine (Florida’s oldest City)
8. Orlando
9. North Hillsborough
10. West Tampa
11. Tampa
12. East Hillsborough
13. De Soto (16th Century Spanish explorator who landed in Tampa)
14. Fort Myers
15. Brevard-Osceola
16. Okeechobee
17. North Miami
18. Dade-Key West
19. Broward-Palm Beach
20. Broward-Lauderdale
21. Miami Heights
22. Broward-West Palm Beach
23. Hart (1st FL Native Governor)
24. Canaveral
25. Glades

[Canadian observer]

GEORGIA (13)
1. Okefenokee (Name of a marsh area located in the district)
2. Cherokee and Seminole
3. Jefferson Long (1st Georgian black congressman in the 19th Century)
4. Stone Mountain
5. Atlanta
6. Fulton-Cobb
7. Dahlonega (Name of the heights located in the district)
8. Peachtree
9. Egmont (James Oglethorpe, Earl of Egmont, 1st Georgia colonial governor)
10. John Ross (19th Century Cherokee leader)
11. Berry (Martha Berry, famous educator and social worker 1866-1942)
12. Savannah
13. Luther King

HAWAII (2)
1. Honolulu
2. Hawaii

IDAHO (2)
1. Boise-Alene
2. Idaho Falls

[Canadian observer]

ILLINOIS (19)
1. Cook
2. Chicago Heights
3. West Cook
4. Ogden (1st Chicago mayor, 1837)
5. McCormick (Inventor of the mechanic harvester, died in Chicago)
6. Dupage
7. Chicago
8. McHenry-Lake
9. North Cook
10. North Chicago
11. Joliet
12. East St. Louis and the Valleys (i.e. Ohio & Mississippi valleys)
13. Will
14. Batavia-Henry
15. Wabash
16. Rockford
17. Springfield-Moline
18. Springfield-Illinois River
19. Kaskakia (River located in the area)

INDIANA (9)
1. Gary-Newton
2. La Porte-St. Joseph
3. Maumee (River located in the area)
4. Wallace (IN governor from 1837-1840, author)
5. Jennings (1st IN state governor)
6. Miamies (Indian tribe living in IN until the 19th Century)
7. Indianapolis-Marion
8. Evans-Vincennes (Vincennes: former territorial capital)
9. Hendricks (former VP under Cleveland first term, died in office)

[Canadian observer]

IOWA (5)
1. Dubuque (1st European settler living in Iowa)
2. Iowa (Iowa City, 1st state capital)
3. Des Moines-Meskwaki (Meskwaki, Indian tribe living in the area)
4. Winnebago
5. Sioux

KANSAS (4)
1. Robinson (1st KS state governor)
2. Topeka-Leavenworth
3. Kansas City-Lawrence
4. Wichita-Sedgwick

KENTUCKY (6)
1. Lincoln (US president 1861-1865)
2. Shelby (1st TN state governor)
3. Louisville
4. Taylor (12th US president)
5. Davis (Confederacy president)
6. Frankfort-Boone

LOUISIANA (7)
1. Pontchartrain
2. New Orleans
3. Bayou-Delta
4. King Louis (Louis XIV, King of France who inspired the name Louisiana)
5. La Salle (Cavelier de La Salle, French explorer)
6. Baton Rouge
7. Acadia-Lafayette

[Canadian observer]

MAINE (2)
1. Augusta-Portland
2. Madawaska (Northern area located in the district, near Presque Isle)

MARYLAND (
1. Annapolis-Chesapeake
2. Baltimore-Harford
3. Baltimore-Anne Arundel
4. Prince George
5. Calvert (17th Century MD colonial governor)
6. Mason-Dixon
7. Baltimore-Howard
8. Potomac

MASSACHUSSETTS (10)
1. Hancock (1st MA state governor)
2. Hampden-Worcester
3. Worcester-Bristol
4. Brookline-Plymouth
5. North Middlesex
6. Salem-Essex
7. South Middlesex
8. Boston-Cambridge
9. Boston Bay
10. Adams (2nd US president)

[Canadian observer]

MICHIGAN (15)
1. Lake Superior
2. Muskegon
3. Kent-Iona-Barry
4. Midland-Traverse
5. Flint-Bay
6. Kalamazoo
7. Eaton and Washtenaw
8. Lansing
9. Pontiac (18th Century Indian chief)
10. Huron
11. North Wayne
12. St. Clair
13. Detroit
14. Dearborn
15. South Wayne

MINNESOTA (
1. Sibley (1st MN state governor)
2. Scott
3. Hennepin
4. St. Paul
5. Minneapolis
6. Anoka-Benton
7. Thousand Lakes
8. Duluth-Sources (i.e., sources of the Mississippi River)

MISSISSIPPI (4)
1. Tupelo
2. West Jackson-Vicksburg
3. East Jackson-Natchez
4. Biloxi

[Canadian observer]

MISSOURI (9)
1. St. Louis
2. West St. Louis
3. South St. Louis
4. McNair (MO governor who designated Jefferson City as state capital)
5. Kansas City
6. Chillicothe
7. Greene-Jasper and Newton
8. Scott
9. Twain (19th Century American writer, apparently born in the area)

MONTANA (1)
1. Montana

NEBRASKA (3)
1. Butler (1st NE state governor)
2. Omaha
3. Platte

NEVADA (3)
1. Las Vegas
2. Nye (Former NV territorial governor)
3. South Las Vegas

NEW HAMPSHIRE (2)
1. Manchester
2. Concord-Granite

[Canadian observer]

NEW JERSEY (13)
1. Camden
2. Atlantic
3. Burlington
4. Trenton-Ocean
5. Bergenfield and Sussex
6. Monmouth-Somerset
7. Union-Somerset
8. Passaic
9. Bergen
10. Newark-Union
11. Morris
12. Trenton-Mercer
13. Newark-Bayonne

NEW MEXICO (3)
1. Albuquerque
2. Rio Grande
3. Santa Fe

[Canadian observer]

NEW YORK (29)
1. Long Island
2. Suffolk
3. East Nassau
4. South Nassau
5. Queens-Nassau
6. Southeast Queens
7. La Guardia
8. Holland-Brooklyn
9. Jamaica Bay
10. Brooklyn-Bays (i.e. Upper Bay & Jamaica Bay)
11. Central Brooklyn
12. Upper Bay-Bridges
13. Staten Island-Verrazano
14. East River
15. Harlem
16. South Bronx
17. Bronx-Rockland
18. Westchester-Rochelle
19. Hudson
20. Saratoga
21. Albany
22. Catskill
23. Adirondack
24. Finger Lakes
25. Syracuse
26. Roosevelt
27. Buffalo
28. Niagara-Rochester
29. Clinton and Jay (The two first NY state governors, late 18th Century)

[Canadian observer]

NORTH CAROLINA (13)
1. Roanoke Rapids
2. Raleigh-Johnson (Andrew Johnson, 17th US president)
3. Dare (Virginia Dare, first baby of European origin to be born in America)
4. Durham
5. Blue Ridge
6. Randolph-Moore
7. Cape Fear
8. Morrow
9. Andrew Jackson (7th US president)
10. Dudley (1st NC elected state governor)
11. Walton Fields
12. Charlotte-Polk
13. Raleigh-Greensboro

NORTH DAKOTA (1)
1. Dakota

OHIO (18)
1. Cincinnati
2. Belle River (inspired by the former French name of the Ohio river: Belle rivière)
3. Dayton
4. Harding (former US president born in the area)
5. Bowling Green
6. Grant (Ulysse S. Grant, US president)
7. Clark-Pickaway-Perry
8. Butler-Preble
9. Toledo
10. Cuyahoga
11. Cleveland
12. Colombus-Hayes (Rutherford B. Hayes, US president born in the area)
13. Akron-Lorain
14. Ashtabula
15. Colombus-Franklin
16. Ashland-Stark
17. Portage-Youngstown
18. Harrison (Named after former US president William H. Harrison)

[Canadian observer]

OKLAHOMA (5)
1. Tulsa
2. Wachita (Mountains located in the area)
3. Cimmaron (River located in the area)
4. Midwest-Comanche
5. Oklahoma-Shawnee

OREGON (5)
1. Portland-Clatsop
2. Trail (i.e., Oregon Trail)
3. Multnomah
4. Lane and Douglas
5. Whitaker (1st OR state governor)

PENNSYLVANIA (19)
1. Philadelphia
2. North Philadelphia
3. Erie
4. Allegheny
5. West Susquehanna
6. Chester-Berks
7. Chester
8. Bucks
9. Tuscarora
10. East Susquehanna
11. Wilkes-Barre
12. Geary (former PA state governor, born in the area)
13. Philadelphia-Mifflin (Mifflin, 1st PA state governor)
14. Pittsburgh
15. Allentown
16. West Chester
17. Harrisburg
18. Westmoreland
19. Gettysburg

RHODE ISLAND (2)
1. Providence-Newport
2. Providence Plantations (from the former colonial name of the state “Rhode Island & Providence Plantations)

[Canadian observer]

SOUTH CAROLINA (6)
1. Charleston-Sumter
2. King Charles (England King Charles II, granted the Carolina territories to Lord proprietors)
3. Anderson-Greenwood
4. Greenville-Spartanburg
5. Rock Hill
6. Florence-Orangeburg

SOUTH DAKOTA (1)
1. Rushmore

TENNESSEE (9)
1. Smokey Mountains
2. Knoxville
3. Chattanooga-Oak Ridge
4. Blount (1st and only TN territorial governor) or Upper Tennessee
5. Nashville
6. Sevier (1st TN state governor)
7. Henderson and Williamson
8. Lower Tennessee
9. Memphis

[Canadian observer]

TEXAS (32)
1. Texarkana
2. Huntsville
3. Collin
4. Gregg-Cooke and Grayson
5. Dallas-Anderson
6. Tarrant-Ellis
7. West Harris
8. North Harris
9. Beaumont-Galveston
10. Austin
11. Bell-McLennan
12. Tarrant-Parker
13. Red River
14. Henry Smith (1st American governor of TX)
15. Mission
16. El Paso
17. Abilene
18. Houston
19. Lubbock-Midland
20. San Antonio
21. Travis
22. Brazoria
23. Del Rio
24. Dallas-Fort Worth
25. South Harris
26. Denton
27. Cameron and Nueces
28. Hogg (1st native born TX state governor
29. Houston-Harris
30. Dallas
31. Brazos-Waller-Williamson
32. North Dallas

UTAH (3)
1. Salt Lake
2. Uintah-Wasatch (Indian tribes who live in the area)
3. Young

VERMONT (1)
1. Champlain

[Canadian observer]

VIRGINIA (11)
1. Fredericksburg and Jamestown
2. Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth I, who inspired the name “Virginia”)
3. Richmond-Norfolk
4. Suffolk-Chesapeake
5. Pocahontas
6. Roanoke-Wilson
7. Richmond-Poe
8. Arlington
9. Appalachians
10. Loudoun
11. Fairfax

WASHINGTON (9)
1. Seattle-Puget
2. Straits
3. Olympia-Vancouver
4. Yakima
5. Columbia River
6. Tacoma-Harbours
7. Seattle
8. King-Pierce
9. Olympia-Pierce

WEST VIRGINIA (3)
1. Boreman (1st WV state governor)
2. Lederer (1st European to explore WV)
3. Coal Mountains

WISCONSIN (
1. Milwaukee-Racine
2. Madison
3. Eau Claire-La Crosse
4. Milwaukee
5. Milwaukee-Waukesha
6. Dodge-Fond du Lac
7. La Folette (1st WI born state governor)
8. Green Bay

WYOMING (1)
1. Yellowstone

[Canadian observer]

Here's some posts I imported from the old forum...

[Canadian observer]

Here are the Léger Marketing surveys ( http://www.legermarketing.com ).  These are the only one I know I could get by the web.  The documents are in pdf files

Federal voting intentions in Canada at large
http://www.legermarketing.com/documents/pol/ivfc/fedcaeng.pdf

Federal voting intentions in the Maritimes
http://www.legermarketing.com/documents/pol/ivfc/fedmaeng.pdf

Federal voting intentions in Quebec
http://www.legermarketing.com/documents/pol/ivfc/fedqceng.pdf

Federal voting intentions in Ontario
http://www.legermarketing.com/documents/pol/ivfc/fedoneng.pdf

Federal voting intentions in the Prairies
http://www.legermarketing.com/documents/pol/ivfc/fedpreng.pdf

Federal voting intentions in Alberta
http://www.legermarketing.com/documents/pol/ivfc/fedaleng.pdf

Federal voting intentions in BC
http://www.legermarketing.com/documents/pol/ivfc/fedbceng.pdf

[Canadian observer]

The Canadian Alliance (CA) is the only major federal party that would ideologically be the closest to American conservatives.  In Canada, CA is considered as right wing, but I think this party might be considered as centrist in the US.

The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) and the Conservative Party (PC) should be considered as liberal leaning, although PC's considered here in Canada to be centre-right, while LPC's viewed as centre-left.  However, the ideological position of the Liberals is highly debated, as their policies might be centre-right, centre-left, and centrist as well.

The Bloc Québécois (BQ), minus their separatist agenda, and the New Democratic Party (NDP) are definitely left-wing by American standards and I'm sure that if Pat Buchanan ever knew their existence, he would have castigated these parties as "being even more socialistic than the Commies".

Generally speaking in the media and political discussions, Canadian federal electoral analyses consist of grouping the electoral dynamics of six large regions :

1. The Atlantic, which comprises New Brunswick (NB), Prince Edward Island (PEI), Nova Scotia (NS), and Newfoundland (NF)

2. Quebec (i.e. the Province of Quebec)

3. Ontario

4. The Prairies, which comprises Manitoba and Saskatchewan

5. Alberta

6. British Columbia

Each of these broad regions has parties which perform better than other and issues that tends to be more important than in any other areas.

1. In the Atlantic, high unemployment and fisheries are continuously the biggest issues.  At the provincial level, especially in NB and NS, the issues of car inssurance gained prominence as voters complain of hikes in their prenium payment.  The LPC is very strong federally in each of the four provinces.  PC was traditionally strong in southern NB and NS, but now, this is the only region where PC can elect its candidates.  NDP has surprisingly surged in the Atlantic since the 1997 election, and succeed in a couple of ridings since, the party is strong in NS, especially in Halifax, one of the few cities that's not entirely devoted electorally to the Liberals.

2. In Quebec, the issue has always been about the province's constitutional place in Canada.  There is not yet a "right-left political polarization", the polarization is "federalism-sovereignty" (or remaining in Canada or separate from Canada).  Needless to say that the BQ is the party of the Quebec sovereignty (advocating Quebec independance or secession from Canada).  Since the last 2000 election, the LPC has succeeded in regrouping almost all the Quebec federalist voters under its banner.  A startling case concerns the fact that the two other federalist parties, NDP & CA, have only single-digit support from voters and are in no position to make a breakthrough.  The LPC tends to do well in urban areas such as Quebec City and Montreal; southern regions of the province, such as the Outaouais and the Eastern Townships are Liberal strongholds.  BQ performs well in rural areas, especially on the St.Lawrence valley, and the northern and eastern regions.  The BQ has nevertheless succeeded at electing candidates in surburban ridings of Montreal and Quebec City.

3. In Ontario, everything currently seems going well.  Despite the SARS scare in Toronto, the biggest province and economic powerhouse of the country look far from being in crisis.  In provincial elections, Ontario tends Conservative, but federally it's Liberal and it's even more since the PC collapse that occured in the last decade.  Rural regions are the areas from which the PC and CA get most of their support in Ontario.  The Liberals are in a hegomonic position as all cities tend to vote for their party.  Since 1993, you can count on your fingers how many elected Ontarian MP were not Liberal...

1993: only one from the Reform Party
1997: only one Conservative and an independent
2000: two from the CA, and one from the NDP

4. In the Prairies, agricultural issues do have prominence.  This is the region where there's an almost perfect three-way race between the LPC, AC, and the NDP.  All three consistently succeeds at getting candidates elected.  The NDP is succesful in rural areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and makes good showing in Winnipeg.  The Liberals do well in Winnipeg too.  The CA was particularly strong in the rural areas too since 1993, let's see how it's going to be in the next election.

5. Alberta is the craddle of the CA party, and the province the most supportive of the Alliance.  Mismanagement cases of Taxpayers' money from the federal government seem getting an stronger echo in their electorate than it would be the case in other regions.  Distrust of big government is another characteristic.  The only place that is usually less supportive of the CA is the city of Edmonton, where the only Liberal MP's have been elected since 1993.

6. In British Columbia, 1993 was quite a big swing, most federal MP's were elected under the banner of the Reform Party (which changed its name for the Canadian Alliance).  In 1988, most were from the NDP, that's what I'd call "ideological gymnastic".  Since then, the CA has made strong showing in the province, the party attracts support mainly from Vancouver suburb and the BC interior.  The NDP and the LPC get most of their support from urban and coastal areas, especially in Vancouver.

[Canadian observer]

Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis (1890-1959)[/i]

Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis (simply called Duplessis, or nicknamed "Le Cheuf" [French slang for "Chief"]) was born in Trois-Rivières in 1890.  After his legal practice, in 1927, he got elected MLA in Trois-Rivières for the waning Quebec provincial Conservative Party (PC).  He became PC leader in 1932.

During the last term of Quebec Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, a group of Liberal MLA, led by Paul Gouin, broke out from the Liberal caucus and then create a party named "Action Libérale Nationale" (ALN).  Meanwhile, the Duplessis-led PC was morphing and changed its name to "Union Nationale" (UN).  The ALN and UN began cooperating and made a deal for the 1935 provincial election, which consisted to oppose only one candidate, from the ALN or UN, to every QLP incumbent.  The two parties almost succeeded to prevent a Liberal legislature majority.

1935 QC ELECTION
QLP: 46.5% (47 seats)
ALN: 29.5% (25 seats)
PC: 19.0% (17 seats)
Ind. Liberals: 4.0% (1 seat)


Louis-Alexandre Taschereau (1867-1952)[/i]

After the election, the ALN merged with the UN, the new party kept the latter name.  Duplessis quickly took over the leadership and push out the last ALN remaining people from the party power centres.  Meanwhile, scandals plagued the Liberal government and legislative inquiries over government dealings on a host of issues mushroomed.  This led Taschereau, Premier since 1920, to resign in June 1936 and let Adélard Godbout to succeed him at the helm of the QLP and the provincial government.  Election is rapidly declared and Godbout Liberals suffered a crushing defeat.

1936 QC ELECTION
UN: 56.9% (76 seats)
QLP: 39.4% (14 seats)


Joseph-Adélard Godbout (1892-1956)[/i]

During his first term, Duplessis began showing the features of his personality that will make him known for generations to come.  He reneged on his promises to nationalize electricity utilities; and as a staunch anti-communist and anti-socialist, the Legislative Assembly enacted the "Loi du cadenas" (Padlock Act, it's my tentative English translation), which is meant to curb and eliminate communist propaganda.  Notice that "communist activity" had a very large definition that included almost any activities the Duplessis government didn't like, that was like McCarthy's witch hunt.  Paradoxically, the Duplessis governement implemented the earliest features of the Quebec social democratic state, such as the minimum wage, financial support for mothers in need, and insurance credit for farmers.

In September 1939, right after the outbreak of the Second World War, Duplessis declared an anticipated provincial election, sensing he would need a strong mandate to oppose the federal Liberal Prime Minister Mackenzie King if the latter would ever implement conscription of men for war effort (the idea of conscription was always deeply opposed among Quebecers, especially among French speakers; that was even the case in 1917).  During the campaign, King promised not to establish conscription, thus preventing Duplessis from having a horse to do war with.  Other issues during the campaign concerned Duplessis' quite chaotic term, so chaotic that some UN MLA's went back to the QLP fold they had quit a couple of years before.  The King promises helped Godbout-led Liberals to win back a strong majority.

1939 QC ELECTION
QLP: 53.5% (69 seats)
UN: 38.6% (15 seats)
Ind.: 1.1% (2 seats)


William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950)[/i]

Adélard Godbout regained the Premiership he lost three years before.  Ironically, King did implement conscription in 1942, that didn't help Godbout, who faced the electorate in 1944.  During Godbout's Premiership, Duplessis kept his official opposition leader post, that period was seen as Duplessis' desert crossing, a desert the latter seemed to have gone through in 1944.

1944 QC ELECTION
UN: 38.0% (48 seats)
QLP: 39.4% (37 seats)
Oth.&Ind.: (6 seats)

Duplessis' victory was the start of a 15-year reign as Quebec provincial Premier.  During his second tenure, his administration oversaw the construction of electrical utilities in rural areas.  In 1948, Duplessis introduced the Quebec provincial flag, confirming again his nationalist credentials.


Quebec provincial flag[/i]

In 1954, the provincial income tax is established, thus making Quebec the only province where tax payers have to fill two income tax declarations.  Most of the Quebec hospitals were founded during Duplessis' Premiership tenure.  Those achievements were Duplessis' brightest.  However, he is better remembered for darker deeds.  He was business friendly like…

… like preventing the establishment of independent workers' unions, except Catholic unions (Catholic unions were means to spy on various labour sectors, as Duplessis' government had connections with the Quebec Catholic clergy).

… like crushing workers' strikes harshly, and accuse strikers of sedition.  The figure case is the 1949 Asbestos strike, police came, then violence, shooting and killings erupted (that was a Quebec-style Pullman strike).  Of historical interest, the future Canadian PM Pierre Elliott Trudeau witnessed the 1949 strike as a journalist, he vilified Duplessis.  Duplessis declared having known nothing about the police intervention, assertion not viewed as credible…


1949 strike in the city of Asbestos, Eastern Townships, Qc[/i]

… and Duplessis was business friendly like giving away access to natural resources at ridiculous prices, but not for a ridiculous period of time.  Exhibit A, the UN government, in 1946, granted access to iron minerals in northern Quebec to companies at one cent per ton produced, the access was granted for 99 years.  The once again Liberal opposition leader Godbout quoted, "Ce n'est pas le scandale du siècle, mais bien le scandale d'un siècle." (This isn't the scandal of the Century, this is the one-Century scandal).

Premier Duplessis was a deeply religious conservative.  In those years, that wouldn't cause any electoral problem, as French Quebec society was as conservative.  He let hospitals, elementary and high schools, and other social services entirely under the management of the Catholic clergy.  That surely saved moneys in salaries, but let orphanages and asylum totally under religious control, in those years, and then 40 years later, you get sexual abuse scandals.  The same happened in other Canadian provinces such as Newfoundland, New Brunswick, BC, etc.

Duplessis may have been intolerant too.  In the 50's, his government constantly prevented a Jehova's witness bar owner to obtain a permit to sell alcohol.  The case went in courts and the bar owner won his case.  Censure was pervasive in education as many books or other pieces of art were put in the index.  Of them figured the French movie "Les enfants du paradis", and the book "Le deuxième sexe" from Simone de Beauvoir, who's Jean-Paul Sartres' wife.

Needless to say the Duplessis' administration quicly came corrupted.  From the 40's, the UN devised a sheme by which any company that wins a government contract bid must give an amount of money, equaling 10% of the contract value, to the UN campaign coffers.  The UN party was consequently flushed with money and Duplessis succeedingly won provincial elections in 1948, 1952 and 1956.

In September 1959, while visiting northern Quebec, Maurice Duplessis died.  His death marked the end of a 15-year period later called "La Grande Noirceur" (The Great Blackout), period generally marked by a bossy Premier and the conservative social pressure.  Today, in Quebec, calling a politician or candidate a "Duplessis" is one of the biggest insults, it means he or she is bossy, dictatorial and close-minded.  In 1978, Radio-Canada aired a biographical TV series, based on a play, simply called "Duplessis", the show was prematurely withdrawn after complaints from viewers who were old enough to remember Duplessis.  The series was aired again in reruns more than a decade after.  It's one of the best political historical series ever done in Quebec.  The picture looks like in the series "Me, Claudius, Emperor".  I've never watched the entire "Duplessis" series, though I viewed some of them in reruns a couple of years ago and even some my high school history class.

I hope that helps you, but I still can't figure out what Duplessis has got to do with your cousin's thinking on the NDP's fortunes in Quebec.

Cheers, and here are famous quotes from Duplessis, enjoy :-)

La Cour supreme c'est comme la Tour de Pise, elle est toujours penchée du même bord

"The Supreme Court [of Canada] is like the leaning tower of Pisa, it always leans toward the same side."
-Maurice Duplessis in 1936 referring to the 1927 Supreme Court decision that didn't give Labrador to Quebec, but to the Newfoundland British Colony-


Chers électeurs, électrices et électricité…

"Dear electors (voters) and electricity…"
-Maurice Duplessis introducing one of his speeches during an electoral campaign by referring to his achievements in the construction of electrical utilities in rural areas-

[Canadian observer]

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Just click on the Natural Resources Canada web site[/u].  They feature a map showing the results of the 2000 federal election; the riding colors are based on their winning party.

Here's another map showing the 1997 results.  By the results, you may see that Canadian politics is highly regionalized.


KEY

Liberal Party of Canada (LPC)
Reform Party (RP) which later became the Canadian Alliance (CA)
Bloc Québécois (BQ)
New Democratic Party (NDP)
Progessive Conservative Party(PC)