A major political party in Canada. Following the Confederation of Canada in 1867, a Liberal Party took shape as a major political force and remained so, forming a government (1873–78) under Alexander Mackenzie. The Liberal Party has had a strong appeal for French Canadians. With its power base in Quebec, the Party suffered from the Québécois secessionist demands, and failed to win federal office after 1984. It endorsed the all‐party constitutional proposals of 1992 designed to prevent the break‐up of the Canadian federation, although this in fact was rejected in a referendum in 1992. In 1993 the Liberal Party was re‐elected and Jean Chrétien, its leader since 1990, became Prime Minister. It held power until defeated in the 2006 general election. It returned to power, led by Justin Trudeau, in 2015.