radical party formed in Canada East (now Quebec) about 1849 and inspired primarily by the French-Canadian patriot Louis-Joseph Papineau (Papineau, Louis-Joseph). In general the Parti Rouge advocated a more democratic system of government, with a broadly based electorate, and the abolition of the old semi-feudal laws that still survived in Quebec. It also opposed the political influence of the Roman Catholic clergy in French Canada. In later years the party became more moderate, and in the 1860s it merged with the Clear Grits of Canada West to form the Liberal Party (Liberal Party of Canada).