Quebec's municipal mergers and demergers refer to controversial restructuring of local government in the early 2000s. In 2002, the Parti Québécois government forced mergers creating mega-cities including a unified Montreal, Quebec City, Gatineau, and Longueuil. The Liberal government elected in 2003 promised referendums allowing merged municipalities to demerge. In 2004, residents of 89 former municipalities voted, with 32 choosing to reconstitute as separate municipalities in 2006. The process left complicated governance arrangements, including agglomeration councils managing shared services. The experience demonstrates provincial power over municipal structure and the political difficulties of forced amalgamation.