Camil Samson
Encyclopedia
Camil Samson was a politician in Quebec
, Canada
, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec
(MNA), and leader of the Ralliement créditiste du Québec
and other political parties.
to Wilbroy Samson, a journalist and farmer, and Irène Carle. He completed his studies in Shawinigan, Cléricy and at the Duchesnay forestry station. From 1952 to 1956, he worked in the forestry industry. From 1956 to 1970, he worked in the automobile industry as a salesman, service manager, and sales manager. He was also an insurance agent.
, a political party that nominated candidates in federal elections and promoted social credit
theories of monetary reform
. He later became the Secretary and Vice President of the party. He was unsuccessful as the party's candidate in the Pontiac-Témiscamingue riding
in the 1965 federal election
. In the 1966 Quebec provincial election
, he was the unsuccessful candidate for the Quebec separatist
Ralliement national
party in Temiscamingue
riding. He was the president of the Chamber of Commerce in Rouyn-Noranda en 1969.
party, and was named president of the party on January 24, 1970. This party was the provincial counterpart of the Ralliement créditiste du Canada, founded to promote social credit policies at the provincial level in Quebec.
In the 1970 Quebec election
campaign, in an unfortunate moment of rhetorical transport, delivered this line in reference to the government against which he was running: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Union Nationale has brought you to the edge of the abyss. With Social Credit, you will take one step forward." The créditistes nonetheless benefited from the decline of the conservative Union Nationale party and made a modest breakthrough, winning 12 seats in the National Assembly and 11.2% of the vote; Samson was elected in the riding of Rouyn-Noranda. The party was never able to build on this initial success because it was wracked continually by internal divisions.
Samson served as leader of the party from March 22, 1970 to February 13, 1972. On March 16, Camil Samson was expelled from the party by nine of the créditiste MNAs (organized by interim leader Armand Bois
) for criticizing some of the caucus members, and for not attending party meetings. On March 19, Samson declared himself to be the leader of a new créditiste group, and demanded to be seated in the National Assembly as a member of the "Registered Ralliement créditiste du Québec", along with two other créditiste MNAs, Aurèle Audet (Abitibi-Ouest) and Bernard Dumont (Mégantic). However, the speaker of the National Assembly recognized Armand Bois as parliamentary leader of the Ralliement créditiste du Québec. On August 11, Samson, Dumont and Audet rejoined the Ralliement créditiste.
He ran again for the leadership of the party at its convention on February 4, 1973, but was defeated by former federal Liberal
cabinet minister Yvon Dupuis
. Because Dupuis was not a sitting member of the National Assembly, Samson served as parliamentary leader of the renamed Parti créditiste from March 15 to September 25, 1973.
He was re-elected in the 1973 provincial election
, along with only one other créditiste, Fabien Roy
. Before the 1976 election, there was a further split as the only two sitting Parti créditiste MNAs went their separate ways. Samson became leader of the part, once again called the Ralliement créditiste du Québec again on May 11, 1975, while Fabien Roy was expelled from the party.
Samson was re-elected in the 1976 provincial election
as the only créditiste MNA. (Fabien Roy was the only MNA elected for his new party, the Parti national populaire
.)
On November 12, 1978, Samson founded a new party, Les Démocrates
, with Pierre Sévigny
, who had been a Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Member of Parliament
from 1958 to 1963. This party was renamed on January 1, 1980, the Parti démocrate créditiste.
On October 15, 1980, Samson joined the Parti libéral du Québec
, bringing the Parti démocrate créditiste to an end. He was defeated in his bid for re-election to the National Assembly in Rouyn-Noranda-Témiscamingue riding in the 1981 provincial election
.
in Québec City
from 1984 to 1993. He also participated in numerous television broadcasts on the Télévision Quatre-Saisons network from 1989 to 1991.
, and was named special advisor to the federal minister responsible for the Quebec City region in 1994.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
(MNA), and leader of the Ralliement créditiste du Québec
Ralliement créditiste du Québec
The Ralliement créditiste du Québec was a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada that operated from 1970 to 1978. It promoted social credit theories of monetary reform, and acted as an outlet for the expression of rural...
and other political parties.
Background
He was born in Shawinigan, QuebecShawinigan, Quebec
Shawinigan is a city located on the Saint-Maurice River in the Mauricie area in Quebec, Canada. It has a population of approximately 51,904 people ....
to Wilbroy Samson, a journalist and farmer, and Irène Carle. He completed his studies in Shawinigan, Cléricy and at the Duchesnay forestry station. From 1952 to 1956, he worked in the forestry industry. From 1956 to 1970, he worked in the automobile industry as a salesman, service manager, and sales manager. He was also an insurance agent.
Political activist
In 1963 and 1964, he was the president of the Jeunesse créditiste du Canada, the youth wing of the Ralliement créditisteRalliement créditiste
Historically in Quebec, Canada, there was a number of political parties that were part of the Canadian social credit movement. There were various parties at different times with different names at the provincial level, all broadly following the social credit philosophy; at various times they had...
, a political party that nominated candidates in federal elections and promoted social credit
Social Credit
Social Credit is an economic philosophy developed by C. H. Douglas , a British engineer, who wrote a book by that name in 1924. Social Credit is described by Douglas as "the policy of a philosophy"; he called his philosophy "practical Christianity"...
theories of monetary reform
Monetary reform
Monetary reform describes any movement or theory that proposes a different system of supplying money and financing the economy from the current system.Monetary reformers may advocate any of the following, among other proposals:...
. He later became the Secretary and Vice President of the party. He was unsuccessful as the party's candidate in the Pontiac-Témiscamingue riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
in the 1965 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1965
The Canadian federal election of 1965 was held on November 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 27th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was re-elected with a larger number of seats in the House...
. In the 1966 Quebec provincial election
Quebec general election, 1966
The Quebec general election of 1966 was held on June 5, 1966, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale , led by Daniel Johnson, Sr, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage....
, he was the unsuccessful candidate for the Quebec separatist
Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
Ralliement national
Ralliement national
Ralliement national was a political party that advocated the political independence of Quebec from Canada in the 1960s.It was led by former créditiste Gilles Grégoire...
party in Temiscamingue
Témiscamingue (provincial electoral district)
Témiscamingue is a former provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Situated in the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region in western Quebec, it was created after the 1908 provincial elections from parts of the district of Pontiac in the Outaouais region which existed in 1867...
riding. He was the president of the Chamber of Commerce in Rouyn-Noranda en 1969.
Provincial politics
He founded the Ralliement créditiste du QuébecRalliement créditiste du Québec
The Ralliement créditiste du Québec was a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada that operated from 1970 to 1978. It promoted social credit theories of monetary reform, and acted as an outlet for the expression of rural...
party, and was named president of the party on January 24, 1970. This party was the provincial counterpart of the Ralliement créditiste du Canada, founded to promote social credit policies at the provincial level in Quebec.
In the 1970 Quebec election
Quebec general election, 1970
The Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968...
campaign, in an unfortunate moment of rhetorical transport, delivered this line in reference to the government against which he was running: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Union Nationale has brought you to the edge of the abyss. With Social Credit, you will take one step forward." The créditistes nonetheless benefited from the decline of the conservative Union Nationale party and made a modest breakthrough, winning 12 seats in the National Assembly and 11.2% of the vote; Samson was elected in the riding of Rouyn-Noranda. The party was never able to build on this initial success because it was wracked continually by internal divisions.
Samson served as leader of the party from March 22, 1970 to February 13, 1972. On March 16, Camil Samson was expelled from the party by nine of the créditiste MNAs (organized by interim leader Armand Bois
Armand Bois
Armand Bois was a politician in Quebec, Canada and a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec .-Background:He was born in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec on April 21, 1920 and served as a military officer during World War II...
) for criticizing some of the caucus members, and for not attending party meetings. On March 19, Samson declared himself to be the leader of a new créditiste group, and demanded to be seated in the National Assembly as a member of the "Registered Ralliement créditiste du Québec", along with two other créditiste MNAs, Aurèle Audet (Abitibi-Ouest) and Bernard Dumont (Mégantic). However, the speaker of the National Assembly recognized Armand Bois as parliamentary leader of the Ralliement créditiste du Québec. On August 11, Samson, Dumont and Audet rejoined the Ralliement créditiste.
He ran again for the leadership of the party at its convention on February 4, 1973, but was defeated by former federal Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
cabinet minister Yvon Dupuis
Yvon Dupuis
Yvon Dupuis, PC is a former Canadian politician.-Political career:Born in Montreal, Dupuis was educated at Collège de Varennes in Longeuil, Quebec, and worked as an insurance agent and as the owner of two music stores prior to running for elected office.He was first elected to the National...
. Because Dupuis was not a sitting member of the National Assembly, Samson served as parliamentary leader of the renamed Parti créditiste from March 15 to September 25, 1973.
He was re-elected in the 1973 provincial election
Quebec general election, 1973
The Quebec general election of 1973 was held on October 29, 1973 to elect members to National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa, won re-election, defeating the Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, and the Union Nationale .The Liberals won a...
, along with only one other créditiste, Fabien Roy
Fabien Roy
Fabien Roy was a politician in Quebec, Canada, in the 1970s. Roy was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec and the Canadian House of Commons, and advocated social credit theories of monetary reform.-Background:...
. Before the 1976 election, there was a further split as the only two sitting Parti créditiste MNAs went their separate ways. Samson became leader of the part, once again called the Ralliement créditiste du Québec again on May 11, 1975, while Fabien Roy was expelled from the party.
Samson was re-elected in the 1976 provincial election
Quebec general election, 1976
The Quebec general election of 1976 was held on November 15, 1976 to elect members to National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled only by the 1960 general election, and caused major repercussions in the rest of Canada...
as the only créditiste MNA. (Fabien Roy was the only MNA elected for his new party, the Parti national populaire
Parti national populaire
The Parti national populaire or PNP was a minor political party in Quebec, Canada that operated in the 1970s....
.)
On November 12, 1978, Samson founded a new party, Les Démocrates
Les Démocrates
Les Démocrates was a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada, founded by former Ralliement créditiste du Québec leader Camil Samson and former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada federal cabinet minister Pierre Sévigny on November 18, 1978...
, with Pierre Sévigny
Pierre Sévigny
Joseph Pierre Albert Sévigny, PC, OC, CD, VM, ED was a Canadian soldier, author, politician, and academic. He is best known for his involvement in the Munsinger Affair....
, who had been a Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
Member of Parliament
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
from 1958 to 1963. This party was renamed on January 1, 1980, the Parti démocrate créditiste.
On October 15, 1980, Samson joined the Parti libéral du Québec
Parti libéral du Québec
The Quebec Liberal Party is a centre-right political party in Quebec. It has been independent of the federal Liberal Party of Canada since 1955....
, bringing the Parti démocrate créditiste to an end. He was defeated in his bid for re-election to the National Assembly in Rouyn-Noranda-Témiscamingue riding in the 1981 provincial election
Quebec general election, 1981
The Quebec general election of 1981 was held on April 13, 1981, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Claude Ryan.The PQ won re-election despite...
.
Radio host
He worked as a radio announcer for CKCV from 1981 to 1984, and for CHRCCHRC (AM)
CHRC is a French language Canadian radio station located in Quebec City, Quebec. Known as Québec 800, the station has a news/talk/sports format....
in Québec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
from 1984 to 1993. He also participated in numerous television broadcasts on the Télévision Quatre-Saisons network from 1989 to 1991.
Federal politics
He ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate in Québec-Est riding in the 1993 federal electionCanadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, and was named special advisor to the federal minister responsible for the Quebec City region in 1994.
Sources
- Camil Samson et le défi créditiste: l'homme, le parti et l'équipe, Québec, Éditions du Griffon, 1970, 195 p.
- Quebec National Assembly website
See also
- List of third party leaders (Quebec)
- History of QuebecHistory of QuebecQuebec has played a special role in Canadian history; it is the site where French settlers founded the colony of Canada in the 17th and 18th centuries.-Paleoindian Era :...