Nicknames of politicians and personalities in Quebec


A custom of Quebecers is to give nicknames to their politicians, most especially their Premiers. Many of those given to Premiers are affectionate or even express admiration, while others are insulting.

Nicknames of Quebec Premiers

  • Maurice Duplessis : Le Chef '. Often pronounced "Le Cheuf", to reflect an old-fashioned joual pronunciation of the word.
  • * Often used disparagingly to evoke Duplessis's despotism. Nevertheless, he apparently used the nickname to refer to himself.
  • Daniel Johnson Sr. : Danny Boy.
  • * Name given to the portrayal of Johnson as a comical and clueless cowboy in political cartoons drawn by Normand Hudon before Johnson taking power. An apparent reference to his Irish roots.
  • Robert Bourassa
  • * Boubou.
  • ** Also inspired the term "Boubou Macoutes".
  • * L'homme le plus détesté du Québec '.
  • ** A term used by historians to denote the unpopularity of Bourassa and his government before first losing power to René Lévesque's Parti Québécois in 1976.
  • * Bourassa I; Bourassa II.
  • **Terms historians use to refer to Bourassa and his governments under his first two mandates and his last two mandates as Premier, respectively.
  • René Lévesque : Ti-Poil '.
  • * A reminder of his often ruffled comb-over.
  • Jacques Parizeau : Monsieur '.
  • * Positive and relatively appreciative reference to his well-known aristocratic pride and assurance. Source of the title of a 2003 documentary, Monsieur about Parizeau.
  • Lucien Bouchard :
  • * Lulu.
  • * Barbe Bleue.
  • Jean Charest : Charest has gained numerous nicknames:
  • *Patapouf or Patapouf Premier '.
  • **The name was rumoured to be a nickname given by Charest's wife, something he denied. It first came to be used in the campaign Destituons Patapouf!, an operation of disgruntled citizens who spread a petition from 2003 to 2004 to have Charest recalled, not unlike California governor Gray Davis. Loco Locass, in their song Libérez-nous des libéraux used this nickname to refer to him. The word is an archetypal name for a clown in Quebec French. It is also a pejorative way to talk about someone fat, so it could refer to the fact that he gained some weight. Patapouf Premier is a sarcastic variant that paints Charest as a farcical, despotic monarch. Both are used mockingly.
  • *Le Frisé '.
  • **Referring to his famous curly hair. It is negative. A humorous, mocking song from irony rocker Mononc' Serge about the man is entitled "Le Frisé".
  • *Le p'tit Saint-Jean-Baptiste '.
  • **The Saint-Jean-Baptiste parades of the first half of the 20th century usually featured a curly-haired boy representing Saint John the Baptist. It is therefore another stab at Charest's hairstyle; tied in is the fact that Charest's date of birth is June 24, the feast of John the Baptist.
  • *Le mouton '
  • **Another reference to his curly hair. Due to Google bombing, a search using Google's "I'm Feeling Lucky" option for "mouton insignifiant" used to link to Charest's official MNA webpage.
  • Pauline Marois :
  • *Dame de béton
  • **In reference to her toughness and that she had survived several challenges to her leadership from prominent members of her caucus.
  • Philippe Couillard :
  • *The Bear
  • **In reference to his beard, build and ambling gait.
  • *Philippe-Flop
  • **Used by opposition parties as a pejorative against him, due to perceived shifting of his position on issues.

Similar nicknames