Parti des travailleurs du Québec

The Parti des travailleurs du Québec (PTQ) (English: Workers Party of Quebec) was a political party in the Canadian province of Quebec. It first issued a manifesto in 1976 and fielded candidates in provincial elections until the 1990s, never rising above fringe status.^[1][2] Gérard Lachance was party leader for at least part, and possibly all, of its existence.^[3]

In a 1981 interview, party spokesperson Maurice Gohier indicated that the PTQ was not communist but promoted both independence and socialism for Quebec. Its platform called for workers to be given a greater influence in the governing of society.^[4]

The PTQ did not appear on the ballot in the 1985 provincial election due to registration difficulties, although some party members ran as non-affiliated candidates.^[5] The party's central offices were burgled in the 1989 provincial election, and a party official indicated that the names and addresses of party members were stolen.^[6]

References

1. A Montreal Gazette article from 1978 described the party as "tiny." See "Language the main issue in N.D.G." Montreal Gazette, 23 June 1978, p. 4.
2. Manifeste du Parti des travailleurs du Québec pour l'indépendence socialiste du Québec (publishing information), Open Library, accessed 31 January 2010.
3. Louis Falardeau and Mario Fontaine, "Deux chefs," La Presse, 27 September 1989, B5.
4. Hubert Bauch, "Chasing votes on the political fringe," Montreal Gazette, 28 March 1981, A25. A 1978 advertisement further indicated that the party was not aligned with existing Marxist-Leninist or Trotskyist groups. See Le Devoir, 25 October 1978, p. 2.
5. "Lack of forms sinks fringe party's status," Montreal Gazette, 21 November 1985, p. 5.
6. Michèle Ouimet, "Le PTQ dévalisé," La Presse, 16 August 1989, B7.