A period of intense social change in
Quebec, from 1960 to 1966. (The term was coined by a writer at
The Globe and Mail, a
Toronto newspaper.)
In 1960 the long running provincial
Union Nationale party was defeated by the
Liberals under
Jean Lesage. Lesage hastened the evolution of
Quebec away from a oppressive, church-dominated state. Issues such as
women's rights,
socialism and
separatism became mainstream. In a short time, Quebec became one of the most liberal and forward thinking provinces in
Canada.