Option nationale is a political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 in Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, Canada. It was founded in 2011 by Jean-Martin Aussant

Jean-Martin Aussant

Jean-Martin Aussant is a politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He has represented Nicolet-Yamaska in the National Assembly of Quebec since 2008, first as a member of the Parti Québécois and currently as leader of his own party, Option nationale....

, a member of the National Assembly

National Assembly of Quebec

The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...

 (MNA) who had quit the Parti Québécois

Parti Québécois

The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...

 (PQ) earlier that year after being elected in 2008. The party advocates the sovereignty of Quebec

Quebec sovereignty movement

The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...

 from Canada, and, similar to the fringe Parti indépendantiste

Parti indépendantiste

The Parti indépendantiste was a provincial party which advocated Quebec sovereignty in Québec, Canada in the second half of the 1980s.-Denis Monière:...

, says a vote for Option nationale is a vote for sovereignty, without a referendum

Referendum

A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...

. The party originally planned to use the name "Option Québec", but it was already taken by another group. Shortly after its creation, Lisette Lapointe

Lisette Lapointe

Lisette Lapointe is a Quebec politician, journalist and teacher, currently sitting as an independent. She is the wife of Jacques Parizeau, former Premier of Quebec, Canada...

, wife of former Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau

Jacques Parizeau

Jacques Parizeau, is an economist and noted Quebec sovereignist who was the 26th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from September 26, 1994 to January 29, 1996.-Early life and career:...

, acquired a membership card from the party, but will continue sitting as an independent

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

.

External links

• Option nationale website