Editing Brian Mulroney (section)

==== Fracturing of electoral coalition ====

In late 1987, the Western Canada-based [[right-wing populist]] [[Reform Party of Canada]] was founded. The creation of the party was motivated by Western Canadian discontent with Mulroney's government and the Progressive Conservatives in general. The Reform Party opposed the Mulroney government's promotion of the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords as well as their introduction of the goods and services tax. Although the party won only 2 percent of the popular vote and no seats in the 1988 election, it won its first seat in the Commons on [[1989 Beaver River federal by-election|the May 6, 1989, by-election]] in the Alberta riding of [[Beaver River (federal electoral district)|Beaver River]], where Reform candidate [[Deborah Grey]] defeated Progressive Conservative candidate [[Dave Broda]] by a nearly 20 percent margin. This was the first sign that Mulroney's coalition was fracturing; the PCs had dominated Alberta's federal politics since the [[1958 Canadian federal election|1958 election]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Harrison |first1=Trevor |title=Preston Manning |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/preston-manning |website=Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=June 30, 2022 |date=February 13, 2008 |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630214410/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/preston-manning |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Harrison |first1=Trevor |title=Reform Party of Canada |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/reform-party-of-canada |website=Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=June 30, 2022 |date=February 7, 2006 |archive-date=June 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609001251/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/reform-party-of-canada |url-status=live }}</ref>

In June 1991, the pro-Quebec sovereigntist [[Bloc Québécois]] was founded by Mulroney's former [[Minister of Environment and Climate Change|environment minister]] and [[Quebec lieutenant]], [[Lucien Bouchard]]. The party's foundation was motivated by the collapse of the [[Meech Lake Accord]], which would have benefited Quebec if it had been ratified. The party attracted a few other PC and Liberal members of parliament.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Marsh |first1=James |title=Lucien Bouchard |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lucien-bouchard |website=Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=June 30, 2022 |date=February 13, 2008 |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630214409/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lucien-bouchard |url-status=live }}</ref>