Liguori Lacombe
Joseph-Roméo-Liguori Lacombe (June 17, 1895 – April 13, 1957), generally known as Liguori Lacombe, was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 1930 and again from 1935 to 1948. He is best known for having quit the Liberal Party of Canada because of his isolationist opposition to Canada's entry into World War II and for campaigning against the government during the Conscription Crisis of World War II.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Liguori_Lacombe.jpg/220px-Liguori_Lacombe.jpg)
Early life and career
Lacombe was born and raised in
Political career
Lacombe was first elected to parliament as the Liberal MP for Laval—Two Mountains, Quebec in the 1925 federal election. He was re-elected in 1926 but defeated by former Quebec Conservative Party leader Arthur Sauvé in the 1930 federal election.
Lacombe returned to parliament as a Liberal in the 1935 federal election defeating federal Minister of Marine and Fisheries Lucien Henri Gendron who had opted to run in Laval—Two Mountains after Sauvé was appointed to the Senate of Canada.[1]
Opposition to World War II
On September 10, 1939, Lacombe broke with the Liberal Party to vote against Canada's entry into
He stood as an "Independent Liberal" in the 1940 federal election and was re-elected, defeating the official Liberal nominee by almost 2,000 votes.
Later that year, Lacombe and Lacroix attempted to lead a revolt of Quebec MPs against the
In 1942, Liguiori formed the
Lacombe used the party as a platform to campaign for a "no" vote during the April plebiscite on conscription. In June he invited Quebec Liberal MPs who opposed conscription to join his party but had no takers, remaining the party's sole MP.
He subsequently was part of an unofficial "Independents Group" of five anti-conscription MPs led by Frédéric Dorion.[5]
Later political career
In the weeks before the
He resigned from the House of Commons in 1948 in order to accept an appointment as district magistrate by the provincial government of Maurice Duplessis.[6]
Lacombe also served as mayor of Ste-Scholastique, Quebec from 1935 to 1948.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "Quebec History".
- ^ "1939: 'Canada at the side of Britain'". The CBC Digital Archives Website. CBC Radio. 3 September 1939. Retrieved 20 June 2009. Last updated: 5 December 2008.
- Canadian Museum of Civilizationdigital collections.
- ^ Ernest Lapointe: Mackenzie King's Great Quebec Lieutenant by Lita-rose Betcherman. Toronto: University of Toronto Press 2002, page 313-314
- ^ a b "'Something Different' Is Party Cardin to Lead In Protest Against King", Globe and Mail, April 26, 1945
- ^ "Duplessis Names L. Lacmobe District Magistrate", Globe and Mail, June 5, 1948