1960 Quebec general election

The 1960 Quebec general election was held on June 22, 1960, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled perhaps only by the 1976 general election. The incumbent Union Nationale, led by Antonio Barrette, was defeated by the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage.

1960 Quebec general election

June 22, 1960
95 seats in the 27th Legislative Assembly of Quebec 48 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Jean Lesage Antonio Barrette Party Liberal Union Nationale Leader since May 31, 1958 January 7, 1960 Leader's seat Québec-Ouest Joliette Last election 20 seats, 44.87% 72 seats, 51.80% Seats won 51 43 Seat change 31 29 Percentage 51.38% 46.61% Swing 6.51pp 5.19pp
Premier before election Antonio Barrette Union Nationale Premier after election Jean Lesage Liberal

The 1960 election set the stage for the Quiet Revolution, a major social transformation of all aspects of Quebec society throughout the 1960s. Among many other changes, the influence and power of the Catholic Church fell sharply as Quebec became a secular society.

This election put an end to 16 years of continuous Union Nationale rule, much of it under Maurice Duplessis. Duplessis had died in 1959, ending a period that was later derisively referred to as La Grande Noirceur (the Great Darkness).

Duplessis' successor, longtime minister Paul Sauvé, saw the need to modernize a government that had long been one of the most conservative provincial governments in Canada. He initiated a "hundred days of change" that began to transform Quebec society, but they were cut short when Sauvé died suddenly after only a few months in office. He was succeeded by another longtime minister, Antonio Barrette. However, with its second new leader in less than a year and its third in less than two years, the Union Nationale was thus in disarray when it went into the election.