Timeline Tuesday 20 May 1980

Events on Tuesday 20 May 1980 1

• 1980 Quebec Sovereignty Referendum Quebecers vote against negotiating independence from Canada On 20 May 1980, voters in Quebec rejected a proposal to negotiate sovereignty-association with the rest of Canada, with about 60% voting no. Premier Rene Levesque's Parti Quebecois had called the referendum to pursue greater autonomy for the French-speaking province. The result kept Quebec within Canada but did not resolve the underlying constitutional tensions.