112-429: Élections Québec is the independent office of the National Assembly of Quebec that oversees the administration of the electoral and referendum system in Quebec , Canada . It is led by the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec ( French : Directeur général des élections du Québec ; DGEQ). The Chief Electoral Officer designates both a person and a position. The current DGEQ is Pierre Reid, who also simultaneously serves as
224-401: A classical college . Maurice continued to excel in other subjects, including history, theology , Latin and Greek , which helped him become the best student in his year. In particular, he sharpened his rhetorical skills while attending the debate club at the college's Saint Thomas Aquinas Society. Maurice would, as Conrad Black wrote, "enjoy, almost wallow in, extravagant but thin treatises on
336-610: A Conservative MLA. His rhetorical skills helped him become the leader of the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly in 1933 in the place of Camillien Houde . As opposition leader, he agreed to a coalition with Paul Gouin 's Action libérale nationale (ALN), which they called the Union Nationale. It lost in 1935 but gained a majority the following year as Gouin retired from politics and Duplessis took over
448-500: A bleeding stroke , which paralyzed his right leg and arm and sent him into a barely conscious state; three more strokes occurred by September 4. After balancing on the verge of life for two more days, Duplessis died on September 7 at 12:01 AM EDT . The body was placed in a coffin covered by the flag of Quebec, which he had introduced by an Order in Council in 1948. The coffin arrived to Quebec City by plane at 6:10 am. Duplessis's body
560-612: A caucus meeting in Sherbrooke backed Duplessis's takeover of the coalition, and most of ALN's members joined the newly created Union Nationale party. Eventually, Gouin announced his "temporary" retirement from politics, which confirmed Duplessis's leadership. When the voters came to the polls, they delivered a landslide victory for the Union Nationale, handing it 76 out of 90 seats and ending the Liberal rule over Quebec that lasted for 39 years. Duplessis immediately embarked on fulfilling some of
672-624: A cozy relationship with the Catholic Church, the mistreatment of Duplessis Orphans and the apparent backwardness of his model of development were also subject of criticism. Thus his critics labelled the period the Grande Noirceur ( ' Great Darkness ' ), which stuck in Quebec's society in a large degree thanks to the efforts of those who led the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s. This was also
784-483: A distinction between premier and prime minister ). Quebec's territory is divided into 125 electoral districts (ridings). In each riding, the candidate who receives the most votes is elected and becomes a member of the National Assembly (MNA). This is the first-past-the-post voting system. It tends to produce strong disparities in the number of seats won compared to the popular vote, perhaps best exemplified by
896-475: A large client base among the ordinary people, who were attracted due to his arguments in court that often proved persuasive. He was quickly recognized as a sociable and competent lawyer who approached his cases carefully, and thus became a popular figure in the town. The young lawyer engaged in various activities of his area, notably directing of a local baseball team, and became a fixture in high-end taverns of his town. His professional success, briefly interrupted by
1008-622: A lawyer who served as a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Maurice studied law in Montreal and became a member of the Bar of Quebec in 1913. He then returned to his home town of Trois-Rivières , where he founded a successful legal consultancy. Duplessis narrowly lost his first campaign for the Trois-Rivières seat in the 1923 election , but managed to get elected in 1927 as
1120-700: A majority of the votes. The president of the assembly is the arbiter of the parliamentary debates between the members of the government and the members of the Opposition. In order for a member to address the assembly, the member speak through the president. The president is usually a member of the governing party. The proceedings of the National Assembly are broadcast across Quebec on the cable television network Canal de l'Assemblée nationale . Maurice Duplessis Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis , QC ( French pronunciation: [dyplɛsi] ; April 20, 1890 – September 7, 1959) byname " Le Chef " ("The Boss"),
1232-537: A match for the crafty, magisterial, and thorough M. Taschereau. Later events seemed to confirm Duplessis's intuition. In the 1931 election, the Conservatives were again resoundingly defeated, winning only 11 seats out of 90 despite the fact that the Conservatives got a markedly larger share of votes provincially. Houde lost his own riding; Duplessis got reelected with a razor-thin margin of 41 votes (3,812 votes versus 3,771 for Liberal Louis-Philippe Bigué). Upon learning
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#17328982996361344-487: A rising star in the opposition. When Arthur Sauvé left the leadership of the Conservatives, it was suggested that Duplessis could take the steers of the battered party, but Duplessis refused as he was not ready yet. Camillien Houde , Mayor of Montreal , was nominated instead, but he often had to leave the parliament sessions because of his other demanding job. Therefore, Duplessis, whom the Conservative caucus already saw as
1456-585: A safe alternative to Houde should the leader's policies fail, was able to informally lead the caucus in Houde's absence. Arthur Sauvé, in his resignation speech, asked his successor "to reestablish order in our ravaged ranks". Even though the new leader liked Duplessis, the future premier did not trust Houde's organizational capabilities, finding him "a verbose, blustering [and] impetuous man". He also said to his party colleague, Antonio Barrette , who would briefly serve as Premier in 1960: "You're going to see Houde get to
1568-432: A strangulated hernia in 1930 and 1942, which each ended in several-month-long stays in the hospital due to complications or other diseases slowing down his recovery. Duplessis was also hospitalized for a shorter period in 1929 for injuries he had sustained in a car accident. Duplessis had also been a heavy drinker, but on the advice of his doctor, pressure from his party and Adélard Godbout's suggestion that this "weakness
1680-521: A †. One of the members of the National Assembly is elected as President of the Assembly (a post called speaker in most other Westminster System assemblies). Any member of the assembly is eligible to stand for election, other than party leaders and Cabinet ministers. The election is the first order of business for a newly elected assembly. It is conducted by secret ballot of all members, with successive rounds of voting if needed before one candidate gains
1792-538: Is commonly recognized as the beginning of World War II . Duplessis decided to seize that opportunity and announced a snap election to cement his grip on power by rallying the population around the fears of conscription (which French Canadians overwhelmingly opposed in World War I). However, his gamble failed as the Liberals, whom he accused of wanting to send French Canadians to the frontline, declared their opposition to
1904-419: The 1966 (wrong-winner result), 1970 (false-majority result), 1973 , and 1998 election (wrong-winner and false-majority result). Quebec elections have also tended to be volatile since the 1970s, producing a large turnover in seats. Consequently, existing political parties often lose more than half their seats with the rise of new or opposition political parties. For instance, the 1970 and 1973 elections saw
2016-508: The 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum . National Assembly of Quebec Official Opposition Parties with official status Parties without official status The National Assembly of Quebec (French: Assemblée nationale du Québec ) is the legislative body of the province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; French: députés ). The lieutenant governor of Quebec (representing
2128-584: The Collège Notre-Dame in Montreal , which was run by the Congregation of Holy Cross . There he met André Bessette (better known as Brother André ), then porter of the college. He came to like young Duplessis and handed him over the task of finding students whom the rector wished to see. The relationship was so close that it was then that Duplessis developed the cult of Saint Joseph , which he carried for
2240-516: The King of Canada ) and the National Assembly compose the Legislature of Quebec , which operates in a fashion similar to those of other Westminster-style parliamentary systems . The assembly has 125 members elected first past the post from single-member districts . The National Assembly was formerly the lower house of Quebec's legislature and was then called the Legislative Assembly of Quebec. In 1968,
2352-720: The Padlock Law , which Duplessis authored in 1937. Duplessis's legacy remains controversial more than 60 years after his death. Compared to the Anglophones , the French Canadians remained worse off in the province where they constituted a majority just as his government was courting Anglophone and out-of-province businessmen to invest. This clientelist relationship with the business spheres often morphed into outright corruption. "Le Chef"'s authoritarian inclinations, his all-powerful electoral machine, staunch conservatism and nationalism,
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#17328982996362464-568: The Supreme Court of Canada , notably Roncarelli v Duplessis . Duplessis's rule was socially conservative. The regime generally enjoyed strong support from the high echelons of the Catholic Church, though lower-tier priests did not necessarily endorse him. The Church played an outsized influence in the lives of Quebeckers since it provided most healthcare and education services, something that would only change after 1960. A very able speaker who resorted to populism when necessary, he emphasized
2576-438: The electoral statistics of Quebec , and later in his adolescence, he was already engaging in political meetings and was speaking with the voters. The future premier was preparing for public life by working for a political organization of Joseph-Arthur Barrette , a Conservative serving as member of Parliament for Berthier . Duplessis understood from that experience that he preferred the practical aspects of politics rather than
2688-687: The federal government . The leader of the opposition also decried the government's policy of prioritizing big business interests instead of developing rural areas. Some of the Liberal MLAs eventually became disillusioned with Taschereau and created a new party, the Action libérale nationale (ALN). The new party, which in particular despised the big business's interests in the province, consisted of nationalist and progressive MLAs led by Paul Gouin and included some other figures, such as Philippe Hamel , Joseph-Ernest Grégoire and Oscar Drouin . The members of
2800-525: The lieutenant governor , acting on the advice of the premier , can dissolve the legislature and call an election earlier. Any Canadian citizen at least 18 years old who has been residing in Quebec for at least six months qualifies to be on the electoral list. Normally, the lieutenant governor invites the leader of the political party with the largest number of elected candidates to form the government as premier ( premier ministre in French; French does not make
2912-591: The upper house , the Legislative Council , was abolished and the remaining house was renamed. The office of President of the National Assembly is equivalent to speaker in other legislatures. As of the 2022 Quebec general election , the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) has the most seats in the Assembly. The Constitutional Act 1791 created the Parliament of Lower Canada . It consisted of two chambers,
3024-418: The 1935 election, Taschereau had been ruling the province for 15 years). Duplessis repeatedly questioned the government on its failure to make a turnaround. He pointed to the overcapitalization of companies and to the general chaos in the province's industry and resource exploitation. Duplessis further alleged unjust treatment of municipalities, lack of respect for traditions and unnecessary confrontations with
3136-474: The Conservatives succeeded in capturing the Union Nationale brand for them. Moreover, the corruption inquiry severely weakened the governing party, which gave Duplessis a chance to single-handedly win the premiership. Therefore, on June 17, Duplessis announced his refusal to renew the coalition agreement even though the election writs had already been issued. Despite Gouin trying to campaign independently of Duplessis, 35 out of 42 Union Nationale coalition MLAs at
3248-481: The Legislative Assembly deliberated with all the usual organs, Duplessis was the de facto rulemaker in parliament. "Le Chef" enforced party discipline very strictly and, with very few exceptions, decision autonomy in the cabinet or in the Legislative Assembly was nonexistent. Duplessis, in his capacity as Attorney General, enforced censorship of creations deemed immoral, whether by statutory authorization or simply at his will. Media outlets suspected of sympathizing with
3360-462: The Legislative Assembly of Quebec in 1923 as a Conservative, seeking to oust the incumbent Liberal MLA, Louis-Philippe Mercier , from his Trois-Rivières seat. The campaign was a heated one. Mercier benefited from a well-organized political structure in the area directed by his mentor, Jacques Bureau , who at the time served as a member of Parliament for Three Rivers and St. Maurice and the federal minister of customs and excise . Maurice counted on
3472-418: The Legislative Assembly" (MLAs) ( membres de l'Assemblée législative (M.A.L.s) ), which Premier Maurice Duplessis noted in his speech on the bill, "can sometimes be pronounced as ' mal ', which means 'evil' in French." In 1961, Marie-Claire Kirkland became the first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly. In 1968, Bill 90 was passed by the government of Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand , abolishing
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3584-503: The Legislative Assembly. Maurice's mother was Berthe Genest, who had Scottish and Irish origins on her maternal side. The family of the future premier was well-disposed to Anglophones ; Duplessis would even joke that he was "one of them". At the end of the 19th century, the Duplessis family of Trois-Rivières was active in the political and religious life of the region, and the members of
3696-674: The Legislative Council and renaming the Legislative Assembly the "National Assembly", in line with the more strident nationalism of the Quiet Revolution . Before 1968, there had been various unsuccessful attempts at abolishing the Legislative Council, which was analogous to the Senate of Canada . With the adoption of the new name, members of the assembly were now designated Members of the National Assembly (MNA) in English. In French, they are referred to as either membre de l'Assemblée nationale with
3808-557: The Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly. That parliament and both chambers were abolished in 1841 when the Act of Union 1840 merged Upper Canada and Lower Canada into a single province named the Province of Canada . The Act of Union created a new Parliament of the Province of Canada , also composed of a Legislative Council and a Legislative Assembly. That Parliament had jurisdiction over
3920-584: The Liberal leader previously opposed similar bills seven times. Another landmark policy of the Liberals, the introduction of compulsory schooling from age six to fourteen in 1943, was prompted by a report noting high dropout rates after four years of formal schooling. As with the women's suffrage, the Union Nationale opposed the bill (only Camille Pouliot voted with the Liberals) and later on would not enforce its provisions during Duplessis's fifteen years in power. Finally, in 1944, Godbout created Hydro-Québec from
4032-450: The Liberals in the popular vote count. Still, Duplessis was able to form the government as vote splitting between the Bloc populaire and Godbout's party let the Union Nationale win 48 out of 91 seats. Even though the majority of the Union Nationale seemed tenuous to his Liberal opponents, it eventually led to 15 years of uninterrupted rule over the province. This was common in post-war Canada as
4144-522: The Union Nationale, but at the same time advertising itself as a reform party to get Liberal votes. Duplessis based his campaign on portraying the religious minorities, the federal government and the trade unions as threatening the province's interests, autonomy, traditions and identity. He also attacked Godbout's reforms as threatening the Church and the Catholic faith ( Cardinal Villeneuve indeed disapproved of
4256-453: The ballots. To a large extent, Duplessis's arguments during the campaign mirrored those of the ALN even if Duplessis tried to assure that the Conservatives were less extreme and that "honest" capital would remain untouched in the province. Still, Duplessis remained distrustful of the ALN members, seeing them as unreliable men who would join the Liberals after the election and ruin his dream of heading
4368-624: The bishop of the Diocese of Trois-Rivières , where he worked as legal counsel . The bishop supported his electoral bid for the Saint-Maurice seat in 1886 , which Nérée won. Maurice was born during his father's reelection campaign , who chose to name his son for the electoral district he was the MLA for. The newborn boy was then baptized by Laflèche himself. Politics Economy Provincial Provincial In 1898, Duplessis left his home city to study at
4480-439: The brink of implosion. Joseph-Damase Bégin called to convene a caucus meeting to consider changing the leader, with Onésime Gagnon and Hormisdas Langlais as possible contenders, but Duplessis successfully quashed the effort. Another challenge to his leadership came in 1942, when Duplessis was criticised for his alcoholic tendencies, as he would sometimes participate in parliamentary debates while completely drunk. That challenge
4592-491: The caucus of the Union Nationale proposed to the Lieutenant Governor that Paul Sauvé be sworn in as premier, which he was on the morning of the following day. The time of his rule is widely known as that of " désormais " (from now on) and seen as a break from his predecessor. That said, despite the several reforms that have been implemented in the short "100 days", as the period is also known, Sauvé stressed his loyalty to
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4704-546: The communists would be closed down and the property confiscated by virtue of the Padlock Act. As for newspapers, they would be ordered not to report on the Union Nationale's wrongdoings for fear of retribution from Duplessis. In order to appeal to the Catholic majority, Duplessis also engaged in a fight against Jehovah's Witnesses , whom he equated to Communists and the Nazis , though he ultimately lost court cases connected to them in
4816-531: The convention, Duplessis gained most support from young members advocating for provincial autonomy; federal and Anglophone Conservatives as well as supporters for Houde tended to vote for his opponent. The choice was well-received by the high clergy and Henry George Carroll , the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec , but Houde was bitter at his ouster and would only reconcile with him after World War II. The governing Liberals also had problems of their own. Quebec
4928-411: The death of his mother in 1921, let him buy a personal Winton on a loan (to great dismay of his father). Duplessis suspended his law career in early 1934 amid mounting duties in the Legislative Assembly, though he would still be mentioned as a member of the bar. Despite a promising start to his legal career, Duplessis did not lose sight from his political ambitions. He made his first attempt to get to
5040-528: The demise of the Union Nationale and rise of the Parti Québécois, which took power in 1976 . The 1985 and 1994 elections saw the Liberals gain and lose power in landslide elections. The 2018 elections saw the rise of the Coalition Avenir Québec , which took power for the first time. Cabinet ministers are in bold, party leaders are in italic and the president of the National Assembly is marked with
5152-616: The economic development of Quebec under Duplessis. Full employment stayed in the province for over a decade and average wages rose slightly faster than in the rest of Canada. GDP growth was fairly strong and was in a large degree as a result of a large stream of investment and general improvements in efficiency. The way Duplessis solicited the investments was consistent with economic liberalism . Quebec refused state intervention in resource extraction itself and thus relied heavily on out-of-province (English Canadian or American) capital to develop its rich natural resources. Duplessis attracted
5264-491: The editor-in-chief of Le Devoir , and centered around André Laurendeau and Maxime Raymond , who were instrumental in what was effectively the defeat of the 1942 conscription plebiscite . A nationalist formation, it supported the nationalization of hydroelectricity and argued for more autonomy for Quebec; at the same time it drew inspirations from Catholic social teaching , corporatism and syndicalism . The party thus sought to compete for nationalist and anti-war votes with
5376-482: The election result very much, the public and the press was enthusiastic about a leader who would not let any refugees arrive in la belle province . The business community, in its turn, was assured by his pledge to pursue development driven by private investments and opposition to state takeovers of companies. In the 1944 election , the Union Nationale received just over 38% of votes – the smallest share of votes in any election during his leadership – and finished behind
5488-598: The electoral promises. Among the programs that are credited with the longevity of the Union Nationale is the creation of the Farm Credit Bureau, which sent low-interest loans to rural areas and which proved popular with what would be the electoral base of his party. However, Duplessis emphatically refused to nationalize the producers of electricity and largely continued the economical policies of his predecessor. This provoked an exodus of former ALN members but it did not threaten Duplessis's majority. Duplessis first rose to
5600-532: The entire province, with members from Lower Canada and Upper Canada in both houses. The Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly known as the British North America Act), created the Dominion of Canada, and also created the provinces of Ontario and Quebec by splitting the old Province of Canada into two, based on the old boundaries of Lower Canada and Upper Canada. The act created a new bicameral Legislature for
5712-463: The family could often be found among conservative and ultramontanist sympathizers, with whom they would often debate current political events. Some of the influential figures of the time, including Louis-Olivier Taillon , Edmund James Flynn , Joseph-Mathias Tellier , Louis-Philippe Pelletier and Thomas Chapais , could be found there. Moreover, Maurice's father, a deeply pious person, maintained close relations with Louis-François Richer Laflèche ,
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#17328982996365824-541: The federal government's initiatives with strong resistance due to his convictions on provincial autonomy . In the social domain, Duplessis maintained and protected the traditional role of the Catholic Church in Quebec's society, notably in healthcare and education. He was ruthless to the perceived enemies of the Church or of the Catholic nature of the province, such as Jehovah's Witnesses , whom he harassed using his government's apparatus. Communists were persecuted under
5936-460: The founders of French Canada", where he would show his attachment to and admiration of his roots, the rural lifestyle and the Catholic faith. He was especially fond of Louis Hébert , one of the first colonizers of the New France and a pioneer of farming in the area. Duplessis's interest for politics appeared at a very young age. As early as at the age of ten, Maurice expressed strong interest in
6048-482: The governing majority. Duplessis got safely reelected with a margin of 14 percentage points (1,202 votes). Maurice Duplessis continued his offensive in spring 1936, when he succeeded in having the parliamentary public accounts committee start an inquiry into the management of public funds by the Taschereau government. Numerous irregularities were uncovered as various Liberal government officials acknowledged having used
6160-493: The government himself. For that reason, he resisted all efforts to sign a coalition agreement with them, but was forced to yield on November 7, 1935. Several factors played a role. In October, the Liberals had an impressive showing in that year's federal election , and Taschereau called a snap provincial election in November to capitalize on this victory. Vote splitting issues in the first-past-the-post system also contributed to
6272-541: The highest office in the province in a difficult time, as the Great Depression ravaged through the province, leaving hundreds of thousands of people unemployed. Increased expenditures on social programs and lack of growth in the 1930s caused a severe budgetary crisis, as debt nearly doubled within his three years in office. The federal government started intervening in the province's finances to stabilize them, but Duplessis resisted these attempts as he thought they violated
6384-569: The importance of the preservation of what he believed were French Canadian values: the Catholic faith, the local traditions and the French language. In order to preserve them, he argued, Quebec had to defend its provincial autonomy from the encroachment of the federal government. It was usually done by means of refusing to participate in federal-provincial programs , which at that time mostly consisted of new welfare policies, but also through asserting its power to taxation, which Duplessis successfully did in 1955. The post-war economic expansion defined
6496-493: The incumbent governments were able to take credit for the strong economic performance and were often reelected on this basis. Several other factors specific to Quebec also helped in the longevity of his rule. The first was his personal charisma, which was so strong that the figure of Duplessis mattered much more than the party he represented. Another reason was his media-savvy team of talented campaign managers led by Joseph-Damase Bégin , his minister of colonization. The fact that
6608-416: The initial general opinion of historians and intellectuals, but since the 1990s, academics have revisited Duplessism and concluded instead that this assessment required nuancing and placement in the contemporary perspective and, in some cases, advocated outright rejection of that label. Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis was born on April 20, 1890, in Trois-Rivières to a religious family that was quite wealthy. He
6720-579: The initialism M.A.N. or as députés de l'Assemblée nationale du Québec . In 1978, television cameras were brought in for the first time to televise parliamentary debates. The colour of the walls was changed to suit the needs of television, and the salon vert (green hall) became the salon bleu (blue hall). In 1984, Canadian Forces corporal Denis Lortie stormed into the Parliament Building and opened fire, killing three government employees and wounding thirteen others. His intended target
6832-494: The issue several times, but, unlike some of his colleagues, largely avoided discussing it and generally either abstained on the legislation or opposed it by voting "nay" or by trying to block the bill in committee. The 1940 vote was no different. Duplessis and most of his caucus voted "nay" as the leader of the Union Nationale aired concerns about an increase in government expenditures and electoral fraud that he connected to women's suffrage. He also accused Godbout of hypocrisy, as
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#17328982996366944-469: The judiciary. Despite a rather close race, Maurice lost to the incumbent, 1,328 to 1,612 votes. Duplessis at the time did not expect to win the riding anyway, but hoped that his good initial showing would make him a viable candidate as the opposition leader in the region. Four years later, Duplessis attempted a second run to the Legislative Assembly, campaigning among working- and middle-class families by paying personal visits to them. His resolve to get to
7056-576: The leadership, thus breaking almost 40 years of uninterrupted rule by the Quebec Liberal Party . In addition to his premiership duties, Duplessis served as attorney general and briefly held other ministerial posts as well. The first three years in government were difficult for Duplessis as the government struggled to respond to the ongoing hardships of the Great Depression . That term saw the introduction of several key welfare policies (such as
7168-509: The legacy of Duplessis and portrayed his rule as the continuation of what Duplessis was doing. Antonio Barrette, who succeeded Sauvé after the latter's death in January 1960, also continued the same policies. However, the frequent changes of power threw the Union Nationale into disarray just before the planned election in June , which Jean Lesage 's Liberals won. This defeat of the Union Nationale started
7280-523: The legislation). During the campaign, Duplessis floated a false anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that asserted that the federal government, ruled by the Liberals , and the Quebec Liberals struck a secret deal with the so-called "International Zionist Brotherhood" to settle 100,000 Holocaust refugees in Quebec in exchange for campaign contributions. While Max Beer argues that this story did not influence
7392-417: The middle is typical of legislative institutions of British heritage, the architectural style is believed to be unique among parliament buildings found in other Canadian provincial capitals. Its façade presents a pantheon representing significant events and people of the history of Quebec. In 1936, Maurice Duplessis hung a crucifix in the Legislative Assembly chamber. It hung there for 83 years, until it
7504-426: The money by using a combination of low taxes, low regulation and pro-employer labour policies. Trade unions in particular were a target of Duplessis's interventions. Duplessis had a consistent position of disincentivizing collective bargaining by passing unfavourable regulations for organized labour, which at the time was unique in Canada. When strike action did occur, the police were immediately deployed to break it (as
7616-412: The nationalization and believed that negotiating prices between the government and the electricity companies was a better way to decrease them than assuming state ownership. Just as with the 1935 elections, a third political force wanted to enter Quebec politics: the anti-conscriptionist Bloc populaire . It was a brainchild of such figures as Lionel Groulx and Georges Pelletier [ fr ] ,
7728-463: The nationalization of Montreal Light, Heat & Power and its subsidiary Beauharnois Power, but Duplessis again opposed the initiative, saying that its timing just before the 1944 election suggested that it was a political campaign trick. He further disagreed with the details of its implementation – in his opinion, the takeover should have been made by Montreal rather than the provincial government. He also did not want to allocate taxpayer money to
7840-408: The new Institute of Microbiology and Hygiene of Montreal [ fr ] , a research facility similar to Paris's Pasteur Institute . The themes that unite both the pre-war and the post-war administration were anti-unionism and anti-communism . Duplessis introduced and had the Legislative Assembly pass the so-called Padlock Law . It granted Duplessis, in his capacity as Attorney General ,
7952-500: The new leader of the parliamentary caucus, the party overrode the decision. Thus, on November 7, Duplessis became leader of the opposition. This choice was formally confirmed during a party congress in Sherbrooke on October 4–5, 1933, when Duplessis got 332 votes of the delegates (including from 7 out of 10 MLAs and all but one federal minister from Quebec) to 214 cast for a more moderate Onésime Gagnon , an MLA from Dorchester . During
8064-493: The new political force drew heavily from the Programme de restauration sociale, a social policy document drafted by the Catholic clergy in 1933. It advocated corporatism as an alternative for capitalism and communism and sought to improve the position of French Canadians in the province by expanding the social welfare net, breaking (and, if needed, nationalizing) business trusts and revitalizing rural areas. In particular,
8176-506: The offices of Rodolphe Monty et Alfred Duranleau , two nationalist conservatives and friends of Duplessis's family, where Maurice was referred to by his father. While studying, he was noted for his liveliness, sharp responses and socializing. Duplessis, sitting in the opposition, was a local star within the model parliament organized by the university. Outside his field of studies and political engagement, he followed professional baseball standings and occasionally went to opera, but that
8288-405: The overwhelming support for a coalition among party members and donors. Under the agreement, the Conservatives ran on the ALN's platform, joined a coalition called the Union Nationale and ceded two-thirds of ridings to the breakaway Liberals. The coalition narrowly failed to displace the Liberals from power, gaining 42 out of 90 seats (of which 16 were Conservative), but it managed to severely reduce
8400-473: The party secured a steady source of income from kickbacks from business entities helped implement the lavish campaign styles that the managers proposed. Threats to withdraw funds if the riding did not support the Union Nationale's candidate, malapportionment in favour of rural areas, which were the party's stronghold, and support from the high clergy further cemented the long reign of Duplessis. The reign itself had some authoritarian tendencies. Even though
8512-404: The party was critical of the energy trusts and advocated for bringing the hydroelectricity companies under state control. Initially, Maurice Duplessis was skeptical of the third political force, saying that "two [parties] are enough: one good and one bad". He was then preparing for the upcoming 1935 election , starting a tour across the province more than a year before the voters were to go to
8624-402: The plan. As the Union Nationale was also seen as unable to implement a coherent set of policies and it disappointed voters with the lack of reforms, the party's representation shrank to 15 out of 86 seats. The defeat of the Union Nationale meant that Duplessis's leadership was in danger. Some of his fellow MLAs were mad at his starting the election in an unfortunate moment, and the party was at
8736-411: The premiership to Adélard Godbout , who was forced to call an election on August 17. The political situation during that year changed dramatically. Even though Duplessis entered the election as a junior coalition partner, his charisma, rhetorical skills and grilling of the Liberal officials has earned him support from most of ALN deputies, which could not be said of Gouin. On the organizational level,
8848-407: The president of Commission de la représentation électorale (Commission of Electoral Representation). The DGEQ is also responsible for providing electors with information and ensuring transparency in the Quebec political financing system. A former Chief Electoral Officer, Pierre F. Côté , became well known in Quebec for his warnings and reports on alleged financing and voting irregularities during
8960-489: The principle of the provincial autonomy . The Quebec government started handing out old-age pensions and approved workplace accident protections in its first year in office. Public works projects, such as the completion of the Montreal Botanical Garden , were also initiated. It was during this term that the legislation first recognized the right to a minimum salary for everyone (the "fair wage" standard, as it
9072-409: The province of Quebec, composed of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly of Quebec. In December 1955, the assembly passed a bill according the title "Member of Provincial Parliament" ( membre du Parlement provincial ) and the initialism "MPP" ( M.P.P. ) to members of the legislature. Previously, there had been no fixed designation, but they had often been referred to as "Members of
9184-414: The provincial parliament increased even further after his father died in 1926. At election time, Duplessis flipped the seat for the first time in 27 years, winning 2,622 to Mercier's 2,496 votes. This happened even as the Conservatives only captured 9 out of 85 seats. In his victory speech, Duplessis reportedly declared that "[here] stands before you a future Premier of Quebec". At the time when Duplessis
9296-516: The public money inappropriately. For example, Antoine Taschereau, premier's brother and accountant of the Quebec Legislature , was forced to resign when he admitted having pocketed interest from the government's bank deposits . The fact that the newspapers reported on all the smallest details of the inquiry made the committee job a political goldmine for Duplessis. Taschereau resigned amid the corruption scandals on June 11, 1936, and handed over
9408-412: The religious nature of Sundays. He also proposed to make an inventory of the forest industry (it was suspected at the time that the resources were being overexploited) and to reorganize the provincial police. The first speech left Premier Taschereau impressed, who allegedly remarked that "this young man [...] [would] go far". Duplessis's rhetorical skills and the knowledge of the law on the books made him
9520-533: The rest of his life and which sometimes would influence his political choices. The future premier was a bright student, excelling in French , history, Latin and philosophy; at the same time, he was known to be playful and sometimes mischievous (a "scamp", as Conrad Black suggests), which would often lead Duplessis into trouble. In 1902, Duplessis moved to the Séminaire de Trois-Rivières in order to pursue his study in
9632-474: The results, Taschereau declared that "this outcome [meant] the end of Houdism". The 1931 election saw the Conservatives' internal strife, already present in Sauvé years, intensify. The party members could not even agree to a common strategy of dealing with the results of the election. Houde wanted to challenge 63 electoral results in the province, but Duplessis was against this idea because of his thin margin. The plan
9744-532: The right to prosecute those arranging for, distributing or promoting communist materials and propaganda and lock down their properties. Due to the law's vagueness, it often was arbitrarily used against anyone considered an enemy of the administration, such as trade unions. Another law granted Duplessis's government the right to unilaterally amend any contract between the trade union and the employer, and yet another regulation banned closed shops and union shops . On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland in what
9856-520: The situation of majority French Canadians still remained worse than that of the Anglophone minority. The reason was that the Anglophones dominated the business world of Montreal, the financial centre of Canada at the time, took most of the top jobs available and had substantial autonomy within the province. Duplessis suffered from numerous health problems throughout his life. He underwent two surgeries for
9968-405: The solidarity of his fellow lawyers, the good reputation among his clients as well as his father's acquaintances' support (notably Louis-Olivier Taillon). Some of them made speeches in Duplessis's favour. His campaign focused on the criticism of what Duplessis alleged was Premier Louis-Alexandre Taschereau 's contempt towards provincial autonomy and municipal rights as well as of the mismanagement of
10080-591: The style originated) and the United States during the latter 19th century. Although somewhat more sober in appearance and lacking a towering central belfry, Quebec City's Parliament Building bears a definite likeness to the Philadelphia City Hall , another Second Empire edifice in North America which was built during the same period. Even though the building's symmetrical layout with a frontal clock tower in
10192-450: The theory. When finishing school, Maurice Duplessis was thinking of either further engaging in public life or becoming a priest in the Catholic Church. Even though the clerical career was typical of the young people like Duplessis and it would give him influence, Maurice ultimately rejected the priesthood as he thought that this job bore too many constraints. He would later confide to his secretary that " sacerdocy [was] too much for me." He
10304-657: The top of the mountain and then be over the hill". Conrad Black characterized his relationship with Houde, together with his political views, in the following way: Maurice Duplessis was in many ways fundamentally conservative; he mistrusted the flamboyant and doubted the improbable. Family counted with him. So did a man's sense of process. Camillien Houde he considered an unmethodical multiple-bankrupt without background of family or profession, untried at everything except tubthumping; an extraordinary personality and an original character, but impulsive, self-indulgent, and superficial. He did not think that this endomorphic gadfly would prove
10416-460: The universal minimum wage and old-age pensions ), but the effort to strengthen his rule by calling a snap election in 1939 failed as his campaigning on the issue of World War II backfired and his government left the economy in a poor state. However, the Conscription Crisis of 1944 propelled him back to power in that year's election . Duplessis then served as premier until his death. As
10528-453: Was the general trend of the time , he presided over a period of robust economic growth due to the rising demand in resources, which the province used to develop Côte-Nord and rural areas. Duplessis was a strong proponent of economic liberalism and implemented pro-business policies by keeping taxes low, refraining from regulation and adopting pro-employer labour policies, in particular by cracking down on trade unions . "Le Chef" usually met
10640-577: Was Premier René Lévesque and his Parti Québécois government. However, he was around 15 minutes early and the Assembly floor was still mostly empty; no politicians were shot. He surrendered to police hours later. Constructed between 1877 and 1886, the Parliament Building features the Second Empire architectural style that was popular for prestigious buildings both in Europe (especially France where
10752-431: Was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th premier of Quebec . A conservative , nationalist , populist , anti-communist , anti-unionist and fervent Catholic , Duplessis and his party, the Union Nationale , dominated provincial politics from the 1920s to the 1950s. With a total of 18 years and 82 days in office, he remains the longest-serving premier in Quebec history . Son of Nérée Duplessis ,
10864-522: Was an old friend of his from the Séminaire who became husband of Duplessis's sister, Gabrielle. Together with another lawyer from Trois-Rivières, Léon Lamothe, they formed a partnership which lasted well into the 1930s. Duplessis did not serve in the Canadian Armed Forces during World War I as he was exempt from conscription. Practising civil law more than criminal law , Duplessis developed
10976-403: Was attended by eleven members of the federal cabinet, including Prime Minister John Diefenbaker , all of the provincial cabinet and the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, three fellow premiers, nine bishops and archbishops and other high officials. Another 50,000 people paid respects to Duplessis in his hometown, after which he was buried alongside his parents. On the evening of September 10, 1959,
11088-485: Was elected, the Legislative Assembly was only in session for two months in a year, which allowed Duplessis to spend more time in his electoral district. Duplessis became immediately active on the parliament floor once the parliament convened on January 10, 1928. In his maiden speech on January 19, the Legislative Assembly freshman decried the overemphasis on industrial development, as opposed to rural and small-business interests and called to stop increasing taxes and to respect
11200-577: Was frustrated by the government because a change in electoral law made the recounts too expensive. The Conservatives increasingly grew fed up with Houde's performance, and since he was no longer an MLA, lost his Montreal mayorship election in April 1932 and had trouble maintaining his newspaper, he had little real power in the caucus. Therefore, when in an effort to appease the Anglophone community, Houde unexpectedly designated an ageing Charles Ernest Gault , his ally and long-time MLA from Montréal–Saint-Georges , as
11312-416: Was going to ruin [Duplessis]", became a teetotaller after his second surgery. Also in 1942, doctors diagnosed Duplessis with diabetes , which particularly caused trouble in the last years of his life. By the end of 1958, in the middle of his fourth term, Duplessis's health started to deteriorate significantly and he struggled to keep on with the prior habits of his premiership. Doctors warned him that he
11424-448: Was in the midst of the Great Depression , which left Canada's economy declining . The Liberal Party, which had been in power for more than 35 years, was suffering from internal tensions, too, but also from the laissez-faire economic policies that proved inadequate for the crisis. Conrad Black additionally attributed the party's woes to its inflexibility and population's weariness of the government that had been in power for too long (by
11536-451: Was known back then, previously applied to women only), but this law saw several problems in its implementation due to lack of uniformity and reluctance of trade unions to embrace it. In line with the Church's teaching, Duplessis launched a program of assistance to needy mothers (but not unwed, divorced or separated women), as well as to the blind and the orphaned . This cabinet saw the first Ministry of Health in Quebec, and it also financed
11648-476: Was not interested in becoming a businessman, either, because at that time English Canadians had much better conditions for pursuing that path. Thus, in autumn of 1910, he enrolled in the faculty of law at the Université Laval in Montreal, which is now a separate university called Université de Montréal . Finishing law school was then a standard way to get into politics. In parallel to his studies, he trained in
11760-497: Was overstretching himself and needed some rest, but "Le Chef" went on with his duties. Sometime before September 2, 1959, Duplessis accepted an invitation from Quebec Iron, a subsidiary of the Iron Ore Company of Canada , to travel to Schefferville to see its mines. The flight to Sept-Îles and then the mining town was uneventful, but at about lunch time on September 3, while staying in the company's guesthouse, Duplessis suffered
11872-478: Was rebuffed as well as after his surgery on strangulated hernia in 1942, the leader of opposition decided to quit drinking altogether on his doctor's advice. The Liberals introduced some progressive policies during their five years in power. In 1940, the Godbout administration granted women suffrage in provincial elections, which they already had on the federal level since 1917 . Duplessis had previously considered
11984-476: Was removed on 10 July 2019. Additional buildings were added, adjacent to the Parliament Buildings: General elections are held every four years or less. Since 2014, the legislature has had a fixed four-year term, with elections taking place no later than "the first Monday of October of the fourth calendar year following the year that includes the last day of the previous Legislature." However,
12096-475: Was the case in Asbestos in 1949 ). Quebec's management of the budget was fiscally conservative . The budget was balanced and provincial debt was decreasing. Even though the size of the budget increased substantially, "Le Chef" derided most attempts at welfare state in Quebec as "Anglo-Saxon and Protestant socialism"; instead, he called for charity to fill in the gaps. Ironically, by the end of Duplessis's rule, it
12208-575: Was the federal government which footed most of the welfare bill in Quebec. The main investments of the era were the construction of hospitals and schools across the province, the increase of electricity supply via Hydro-Québec and development in rural areas (particularly through the Rural Electrification Office). Despite these investments, rural areas remained much poorer and less developed than urban areas, so Duplessis oversaw an exodus of rural population towards Montreal. Additionally,
12320-402: Was the second child and only son of Nérée Le Noblet Duplessis , a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (MLA) for Saint-Maurice . Maurice's father, who came from a family of peasants residing in nearby Yamachiche , was a kind but busy man and spent little time with the family, which was typical at the time. Two of Nérée's sisters married politicians who would also sit in
12432-471: Was then embalmed and laid in state in the building of the Legislative Assembly. About 100,000 people arrived to pay homage for the late premier until September 10, when the body was transported to his hometown of Trois-Rivières. The funeral service in the Assumption Cathedral of that city, officiated by Cardinal Paul-Émile Léger , Archbishop of Montreal , and Archbishop Maurice Roy of Quebec ,
12544-698: Was where his hobbies ended. After three years of studies, Duplessis was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in September 1913 . Maurice returned to his home town to practice law at the Bar of Trois-Rivières [ fr ] , whose member he would stay until his death. He first worked together with his father, but this was cut short as on June 15, 1914, Nérée was nominated as judge of the Superior Court of Quebec . The future Premier then opened his own consultancy, Duplessis, Langlois & Lamothe, Avocats et Procureurs , on Hart Street, behind his parents' house. Langlois
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