On March 31, 2003, an article was published in the Trois-Rivières newspaper Le Nouvelliste claiming that the former Parti Québécois (PQ) leader, Jacques Parizeau, had reiterated his controversial statement that the 1995 referendum failed due to "money and the ethnic vote."
The same evening, the Quebec Leaders' Debate was held between Jean Charest, leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, and Bernard Landry, leader of the Parti Québécois. During the debate, Charest surprised Landry on live television by presenting the article and questioning whether the PQ leader shared his predecessor's views.[1] This resulted in a controversy that continued to receive attention in the days and weeks following the debate.
In response, the PQ attempted to denounce Charest's actions as an attack on Parizeau's reputation and dignity, denying that he had repeated his comments.[1] Meanwhile, Landry addressed the issue at several press conferences, stating that he did not agree with Parizeau's unfortunate comments in 1995. However, these efforts did not entirely protect the party from backlash, and the debacle was speculated to have hurt Landry's campaign.
On April 2, 2003, in an effort to distance his scandal from the party, Parizeau announced that he would no longer be campaigning for the Parti Québécois.[2]
The Parizeau Affair is thoroughly covered in the documentary À Hauteur d'homme.
