In the wake of the serious 1981-82 recession new public spaces of economic development arose because of the need to find original solutions for getting out of the crisis. But the return to power of the Quebec Liberal Party in 1985 slowed this dynamic. The most interesting institutions were eliminated. More generally, a period of transition began during the Liberal Party's first mandate. Because of the absence of initiatives from government agents in the area of development strategies, actors in civil society began a second phase in the creation of new spaces for deliberation in the economic sphere. The Forum pour l’emploi is a good example. This was followed by an emergency situation arising from the long recession in 1990-92, which signalled the starting point for a strong trend characterized by the significant use of new consultation practices during the Liberals' second mandate.