Bloc populaire
Bloc populaire canadien | |
---|---|
Elections |
The Bloc populaire canadien (lit. 'Canadian Popular Bloc'), often shortened to the Bloc populaire or the Bloc, was a
Origin
In early 1942, Liguori Lacombe formed the anti-conscriptionist Parti canadien which finished strongly in two February by-elections.
In the April 27, 1942
The party was inspired by the
In addition to opposing conscription, the party aimed to defend provincial autonomy and the rights of French-Canadians.
Provincial level
At the provincial level, it was led by André Laurendeau and won four seats in the 1944 Quebec general election, but soon lost popularity. Laurendeau resigned in July 1947, and the party dissolved and did not participate in the 1948 general election.
Federal level
At the federal level it was led by
The Bloc populaire won a federal by-election in 1943.
The Bloc populaire's entry into provincial politics antagonized Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis, leader of the Union Nationale, who henceforth transferred his party's federal support to the "Independent Group" of anti-conscription MPs led by Frédéric Dorion in the 1945 federal election.[1]
In the
In addition to the Bloc populaire, there was also an "Independent Group" of five anti-conscription MPs led by
Decline
The
Publications
The party published a modest and short-lived weekly newspaper, Le Bloc, in 1944 and 1945, with a circulation of about 15,000 copies. The newspaper was under the responsibility of Victor Trépanier in early 1944 and of Léopold Richer in 1944–1945.[3] The party also published a series of ten brochures reproducing the texts of radio speeches by its leaders.[4]
Quebec provincial election results
General election | # of candidates | # of seats won | % of popular vote |
---|---|---|---|
1944 | 80 | 4 | 14.40% |
Members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec
MLA | District | Region | Years of Service | Background |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ovila Bergeron | Stanstead | Eastern Townships | 1944–1948[a] | Manager of a Credit Union |
Édouard Lacroix | Beauce | Chaudière-Appalaches | 1944–1945[b] | Lumber Merchant & Liberal MP |
André Laurendeau | Montréal-Laurier | Montreal East | 1944–1948[c] | Journalist |
Albert Lemieux | Beauharnois | Montérégie | 1944–1948[d] | Lawyer |
Members of the Canadian House of Commons
MP | District | Region | Years of Service | Background |
---|---|---|---|---|
Joseph Armand Choquette
|
Stanstead | Eastern Townships | 1943–1945[e] | Farmer |
Joseph-Émile-Stanislas-Émmanuel D'Anjou
|
Rimouski | Bas-Saint-Laurent | 1917-1924 1940–1945[f] |
Insurance Broker & Liberal MP |
Pierre Gauthier | Portneuf
|
Québec | 1936–1958[g] | Physician & Liberal MP |
René Hamel | Saint-Maurice—Laflèche | Mauricie | 1945–1949[h] | Lawyer |
Édouard Lacroix | Beauce | Chaudière-Appalaches | 1925–1945[i] | Lumber Merchant & Liberal MP |
Maxime Raymond | Beauharnois—Laprairie | Montérégie | 1925–1949[j] | Lawyer & Liberal MP |
Notable defeated candidate
Candidate | District | Region | Year | Background |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jean Drapeau | Montréal-Jeanne-Mance
|
Montreal West Montreal East |
1942 (federal) 1944 (provincial) |
Lawyer |
Roger Duhamel | St. James | Montreal | 1945 (federal) | author |
Prominent insider
Member | Region | Years | Background |
---|---|---|---|
Pierre Elliott Trudeau
|
Montreal | 1942–1945 | Student |
Notes
- ^ Bergeron did not run for re-election in 1948.
- ^ Lacroix never took his seat at the Legislative Assembly. He resigned on May 14, 1945 and did not run for re-election.
- ^ Laurendeau sat as an Independent member by July 6, 1947. He did not run for re-election in 1948.
- ^ Lemieux did not run for re-election in 1948.
- ^ Choquette lost re-election in 1945.
- ^ D'Anjou left the Liberals and joined the Bloc on June 22, 1944. He subsequently left the Bloc to join Frédéric Dorion's group of Independent anti-conscription MPs. He ran as an Independent in the 1945 federal election and was defeated.
- ^ Gauthier left the Liberals and joined the Bloc Populaire on February 18, 1943. He became Liberal again on June 11, 1945 and was re-elected as a candidate of that party that same year.
- ^ Hamel sat as an Independent member by July 27, 1949. He lost re-election in 1949.
- ^ Lacroix left the Liberals and joined the Bloc Populaire on February 18, 1943. He resigned his seat on July 11, 1944 to switch to provincial politics.
- ^ Raymond left the Liberals and joined the Bloc Populaire on February 10, 1943. He did not run for re-election in 1949.
References
- ^ "A New Party in Quebec", Toronto Daily Star (editorial), October 31, 1944
- ^ "Houde Sees War Against Russia Within 6 Months", Globe and Mail, June 5, 1945
- ISBN 2-89037-131-X, pp. 286–290
- ^ Comeau, op. cit., p. 468
See also
- Conscription Crisis of 1944
- Politics of Quebec
- List of Quebec general elections
- National Assembly of Quebec
- Timeline of Quebec history