Lucien Bouchard began his political career in 1971, when he joined the Parti Québécois. In 1980, he worked as chairman of the Oui side (pro-sovereignty) in the Québec referendum, and in 1988 was appointed ambassador to France by Prime Minister Mulroney, whom he had met in law school at Laval University. That same year, Bouchard was brought into Cabinet by Mulroney, first as secretary of state and later as minister of the environment.
After the Meech Lake Accord was defeated in 1990, Bouchard resigned from Cabinet to form the Bloc Québécois. He led the Bloc through the 1993 federal election, winning the party Official Opposition status. Bouchard left federal politics in 1996 to replace Jacques Parizeau as the premier of Québec and leader of the Parti Québécois.
