Bloc populaire
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| Bloc Populaire Canadien | |
|---|---|
| Former Federal and Provincial Party | |
| Founded | September 8, 1942 |
| Dissolved | July 6, 1947 |
| Leaders | Maxime Raymond at the federal level, André Laurendeau at the provincial level |
| Political ideology | anti-conscriptionism, Quebec Nationalism |
| International alignment | None |
The Bloc Populaire Canadien was a political party in the Canadian province of Quebec founded on September 8, 1942 by opponents of conscription during World War II.
Contents |
[edit] Origin
In the April 27, 1942 national plebiscite on conscription held in Canada, a little more than 70% of Quebec voters refused to free the federal government from its promise to avoid a general mobilization, while about 80 per cent of the citizens of the rest of Canada accepted it. (see also Second Conscription Crisis)
The party was inspired by the nationalist ideas of Henri Bourassa and supported by Montreal mayor Camillien Houde. Jean Drapeau and Pierre Elliot Trudeau were members in their youth. The party ran candidates at both federal and provincial levels.
In addition to opposing conscription, the party aimed to defend provincial autonomy and the acquired rights of French-Canadians. The party's motto was 'Le Canada aux Canadiens (non aux Britanniques) et le Québec aux Québécois (non aux Canadiens anglais)' - Canada for Canadians (not for the British) and Quebec for Quebecers (not for English Canadians).
[edit] 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.
[edit] Federal level
At the federal level it was led by Maxime Raymond, who had been Member of Parliament (MP) from the province of Quebec since the 1925 federal election. He and three of his Liberal colleagues (Édouard Lacroix, Pierre Gauthier and Joseph-Émile-Stanislas-Émmanuel D'Anjou) crossed the floor to sit as Bloc Populaire Canadien MPs.
The party won a by-election in 1943.
In the 1945 federal election, it nominated 35 candidates. All of them except one ran in Quebec-based ridings. The remaining candidate, Lionel Campeau, ran in the district of Nipissing in the North of Ontario. Only two candidates were elected as Members of Parliament: Maxime Raymond and René Hamel.
[edit] Decline
World War II ended in 1945, and by the late 1940s the party's concerns had largely become a non-issue. Many insiders abandoned the party. The Bloc Populaire Canadien contested neither the 1948 provincial election nor the 1949 federal election, and soon ceased to exist.
[edit] Quebec provincial election results
| General election | # of candidates | # of seats won | % of popular vote |
| 1944 | 80 | 4 | 14.40% |
[edit] Members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec
| MLA | District | Region | Years of Service | Background |
| Ovila Bergeron | Stanstead | Eastern Townships | 1944-1948 [1] | Manager of a Credit Union |
| Édouard Lacroix | Beauce | Chaudière-Appalaches | 1944-1945 [2] | Lumber Merchant & Liberal MP |
| André Laurendeau | Montréal-Laurier | Montreal East | 1944-1948 [3] | Journalist |
| Albert Lemieux | Beauharnois | Montérégie | 1944-1948 [4] | Lawyer |
[edit] Members of the Canadian House of Commons
| MP | District | Region | Years of Service | Background |
| Joseph Armand Choquette | Stanstead | Eastern Townships | 1943-1945 [5] | Farmer |
| Joseph-Émile-Stanislas-Émmanuel D'Anjou | Rimouski | Bas-Saint-Laurent | 1940-1945 [6] | Insurance Broker & Liberal MP |
| Pierre Gauthier | Portneuf | Québec | 1936-1958 [7] | Physician & Liberal MP |
| René Hamel | Saint-Maurice—Laflèche | Mauricie | 1945-1949 [8] | Lawyer |
| Édouard Lacroix | Beauce | Chaudière-Appalaches | 1925-1945 [9] | Lumber Merchant & Liberal MP |
| Maxime Raymond | Beauharnois—Laprairie | Montérégie | 1925-1949 [10] | Lawyer & Liberal MP |
[edit] Notable defeated candidate
| Candidate | District | Region | Year | Background |
| Jean Drapeau | Outremont Montréal-Jeanne-Mance |
Montreal West Montreal East |
1942 (federal) 1944 (provincial) |
Lawyer |
[edit] Prominent insider
| Member | Region | Years | Background |
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau | Montreal | 1942-1945 | Lawyer |
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ 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 became Independent on June 11, 1945. He lost re-election in 1945.
- ^ 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.
[edit] See also
- Conscription Crisis of 1944
- Politics of Quebec
- List of Quebec general elections
- List of Quebec premiers
- List of Quebec leaders of the Opposition
- National Assembly of Quebec
- Timeline of Quebec history
- Political parties in Quebec
- List of political parties in Canada
[edit] External links
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