Endorsed by all provincial governments except that of Quebec ( led by René Lévesque ), this was the formal Canadian Act of Parliament that achieved full and final political independence from the United Kingdom.

The first was the defeat of the referendum on Quebec sovereignty, called by the Parti Québécois government of René Lévesque.

The response, however, was criticized at the time and subsequently by a number of prominent leaders, including René Lévesque, Robert Stanfield, and Tommy Douglas ,) believed that Trudeau was being excessive in advising the use of the War Measures Act to suspend civil liberties and that the precedent set by this incident was dangerous.

René Lévesque (; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987 ) was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, ( 1960 – 1966 ), the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec ( November 25, 1976 – October 3, 1985 ).

The eldest of four children, Lévesque was born in the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Campbellton, New Brunswick and raised 133 km away in New Carlisle, Quebec, in the Gaspé peninsula, by his parents, Diane ( née Dionne ) and Dominic Lévesque, a lawyer.

Lévesque was actually arrested during a demonstration in 1959, along with union leader Jean Marchand and 24 other demonstrators.

In 1960, Lévesque entered politics and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in the 1960 election as a Liberal Party member in the riding of Montréal-Laurier.

All other children were required to attend French schools in order to encourage immigrants to integrate themselves into the majority French culture ( Lévesque was more moderate on language than some of the PQ, including language minister, Camille Laurin.

Lévesque was criticized by some in Quebec who said he had been tricked by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and the English-Canadian provincial premiers.

Lévesque, a constant smoker, was in his apartment on November 1, 1987 when he experienced chest pains ; he died of a myocardial infarction that day at a hospital.

Lévesque was a recipient of the title Grand Officer of the French Legion of Honour.

Others noted that a trademark of Lévesque was his relatively small stature.

According to a study made in 2006 by Le Journal de Montréal and Léger Marketing, René Lévesque was considered by far, according to Québécois, the best premier to run the province over the last 50 years.

Considered a major defender of Québécois, Lévesque was, before the 1960s, more interested in international affairs than Quebec matters.

The popular image of Lévesque was his ever-present cigarette and his small physical stature, as well as his unique comb over that earned him the nickname of Ti-Poil, literally, " Lil ' Hair ", but more accurately translated as " Baldy ".

Lévesque was a passionate and emotional public speaker.

Those close to Lévesque have described him as having difficulty expressing his emotions in private, saying that he was more comfortable in front of a crowd of thousands than with one person.

Lévesque was notably portrayed in the television series René Lévesque.

In 2006, an additional television miniseries, René Lévesque, was aired on the CBC.

A song by Les Cowboys Fringants named Lettre à Lévesque on the album La Grand-Messe was dedicated to him.

Trudeau reached an agreement with nine of the Premiers, with the notable exception of Lévesque.

Lévesque covered international events and major labour struggles between workers and corporations that dogged the Union Nationale government of premier Maurice Duplessis culminating with a massive strike in 1957 at the Gaspé Copper Mine in Murdochville.

His party assumed power with 41. 1 per cent of the popular vote and 71 seats out of 110 ; René Lévesque became Premier of Quebec ten days later.

Lévesque had argued that the party should not make sovereignty the object of the 1985 election and instead opt for the " Beau risque " strategy of seeking an understanding with the federal government of Mulroney, which angered the strongest supporters of sovereignty within the party.

The Liberal party was returned to power with an increased majority in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and within six months, René Lévesque, Minister of Natural Resources, enacted his plans for Hydro-Québec.

In 1968, the sovereignist Parti Québécois was created, with René Lévesque as its leader.

In 1984, he had a falling out with Lévesque.

Lévesque had moved away from pursuing sovereignty to accept a negotiation with the Federal Government, called Beau Risque.

Lévesque was taken by surprise with all these retirements and retired soon after.

The constitutional amendment of 1982 was agreed to by representatives from 9 of the 10 provinces ( with René Lévesque abstaining ).

Two Union Nationale MLAs, Jérôme Proulx and Antonio Flamand crossed the floor and sat as Independents, along with Parti Québécois Leader René Lévesque and Liberal dissident Yves Michaud to protest against the new law.

* October 15 – The Mouvement Souveraineté-Association merges with the Ralliement National to create the Parti Québécois, René Lévesque is selected as the party's first leader

* 1984-Deranged federalist former soldier Denis Lortie goes on a shooting spree at the National Assembly on May 8 with the intention to kill René Lévesque.

* 1984-René Lévesque accepts the beau risque of constitutional negotiations with the new Mulroney government.

* February 6-René Lévesque is embroiled in scandal after he, while driving in a car with a woman who is not his wife, hits and kills a homeless man.

Shortly after, the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association was founded with Lévesque as leader.

On September 4 and 5, 1962, Lévesque finally convinced his liberal cabinet colleagues to go ahead with the plan during a working retreat at a fishing camp north of Quebec City.

The Lesage government was reelected on November 14, 1962 and Lévesque went ahead with the plan.

Bourgault himself did not play any role in the PQ government that came to power in the 1976 Quebec election, and often quarreled with Lévesque before leaving the PQ in the 1980s.

Formerly a member of the Parti libéral du Québec, René Lévesque quit the party with a few hundred others after his proposal of a sovereign Quebec associated to the rest of Canada was rejected during a party convention.

with René Lévesque.