The 1995 independence referendum took place 30 years ago Thursday, when a slim majority of Quebecers voted to remain in Canada. After a dramatic campaign that saw the sovereignist side take the lead in the polls in the final weeks before the vote, 50.58 percent of voters chose “no.”
Here are five things you may not have known or forgotten about the 1995 referendum.
Yes and No supporters clash on the streets of Montreal on Monday, October 30, 1995, as the No side narrowly won the provincial referendum.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Robert Galbraith
Foreign influence
International leaders played a role in the federalist and sovereignty campaigns. In February 1995, US President Bill Clinton addressed the Canadian Parliament and made it clear that his administration favored a united Canada.
“In a world marred by ethnic conflicts that literally tear nations apart, Canada is a model for us all of how people of different cultures can live and work together in peace, prosperity and respect,” he said.
Days before the vote, Clinton told reporters that “a strong and united Canada has been a great partner for the United States.”
But in a coup by the sovereignists, in the final days of the campaign, then-French President Jacques Chirac said on CNN's Larry King that he would accept the secession vote.
Receive daily national news
Get the day's top news, political, economic and current affairs headlines delivered to your inbox once a day.
errors
Representatives from both sides of the campaign made inappropriate comments that they likely regretted. Quebec Premier Jacques Parisot, perhaps best remembered for blaming “money and ethnic votes” for the referendum defeat, also courted controversy in the months leading up to the vote. In June 1995, Parisot reportedly told a group of foreign diplomats that once Quebecers voted “yes” for secession, they would be trapped like “lobsters thrown into boiling water.”
A large Canadian flag flies through the crowd as thousands of people pour into Montreal from across Canada on Friday, October 27, 1995, to join Quebecers' rally for national unity, three days before the Quebec sovereignty referendum on October 30, 1995.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiors
Bloc Québécois leader Lucien Bouchard, after he became spokesman for the Yes campaign in mid-October, was criticized for remarking that Quebecers were “one of the white races that have the fewest children.”
But federalist businessman Claude Garcia did his side no favors when he said in September that the No side's goal should be not just to win the referendum, but to “defeat” the sovereigntists.
Illegal activity?
The federal government's involvement in the “no” campaign, led by the provincial Liberals, has led to widespread accusations of improper spending. In 2007, a retired Quebec judge released a report that found that two federalist organizations that received millions of dollars in funding from Ottawa spent about $539,000 illegally.
Judge Bernard Grenier also urged Quebecers to turn the page and move on, but many sovereignty advocates continue to express the view that the referendum was stolen. Grenier wrote in his report that he was unable to determine who financed the Oct. 27 unity rally that drew tens of thousands of Canadians to Montreal.
About this unity rally
The unity rally – part of the federalist camp's latest attempt to persuade Quebecers to vote “no” – saw airlines, bus companies and Via Rail offer discounted tickets to bring as many Canadians to Montreal as possible.
But no one could agree on how many people actually showed up. The New York Times reported that 150,000 people attended the event, while some French-language publications estimated the figure to be around 35,000.
In 2015, CBC interviewed a man from Windsor, Ontario, who brought a giant Canadian flag to the rally, which features prominently in many photographs of the event. He said he and his friends brought it to Montreal in a hockey bag.
The day after
Then-Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said he would not have accepted a yes vote on the referendum question, which was considered unclear. The referendum ballot asked Quebecers to grant a mandate to “become sovereignty” only after negotiating a new partnership with the rest of Canada.
In a recent interview with La Presse, Chrétien said he has “options” if a “yes” wins, including holding his own provincial referendum that would simply ask Quebecers whether they want to secede.
However, a 2014 book by journalist Chantal Hébert and political commentator Jean Lapierre suggests that federalist forces were not prepared to vote in favor of separation. They also found that several major political figures believed that Chrétien would resign or be forced to resign if the sovereignty side won.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
