Parti bleu

The Parti bleu was a moderate political group in Quebec, Canada that emerged in 1854. It was based on the moderate reformist views of Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, and was a rival to the radical Parti rouge. The Parti bleu formed an alliance with Tories in Upper Canada in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, creating the foundations for the historical Conservative Party of Canada. Notable bleu leaders included George-Étienne Cartier. The party initially derived much of its support from ultramontanists in the Roman Catholic Church. By the 1870s, however, figures such as Ignace Bourget had lost confidence in the "bleus", and were promoting a new conservative faction known as the "castors". Both of these groups sought to dominate the Quebec Conservative Party during the late 19th century.