Renaud Chapdelaine
Encyclopedia
Renaud Chapdelaine was a Quebec
lawyer and was briefly a Member of Parliament
in the Canadian House of Commons
.
Chapdelaine won an upset victory in a February 1949 by-election
in Nicolet—Yamaska
- the first francophone
riding to be won in Quebec since the Conservative Party relaunched itself as the Progressive Conservatives
in 1942. While in the previous election, the Progressive Conservative candidate received only 944 votes, Chapdelaine received 8,382 votes, just over 49% of the total vote and almost 300 votes more than his rival, Liberal Paul Trahan. The victory, in a riding that had not voted Tory since 1911
, was seen as a major breakthrough for the Progressive Conservatives and for its new leader George A. Drew, one which made much more likely a Tory victory in the next federal election.
He was a supporter of the Union Nationale
provincially and credited his victory to the voter support for the principle of an autonomous province
opposed to the centralization of federal powers - a policy supported by both the UN and the Tories. Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent
blamed Chapdelaine's victory on the presence of a third candidate, an Independent Liberal, who they argued split the Liberal vote. The Liberals subsequently claimed that Chapdelaine had run on isolationist
and Quebec nationalist policies critical of the government's involvement in World War II
and that his true allegiance was not to Drew but to Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis
.
In March 1949, Chapdelaine and Georges Heon, an Independent Conservative MP who had recently joined the Progressive Conservative caucus, signed a joint statement calling for improving the rights of Franco-Ontarians in regards to French language Separate School
s in Ontario
. The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
had traditionally opposed the extension of both funding for Catholic Separate Schools and French language education and Drew had been, until recently, the Premier of Ontario and leader of the provincial Tory party.
Chapdelaine was defeated four months after his initial victory, in the June 1949 federal election
, as were the Progressive Conservatives nationally. While he increased his vote total to over 9,000 that was not enough to overcome Liberal contender Maurice Boisvert
who defeated him by almost 400 votes in a straight two candidate race. Chapdelaine returned to private life and did not run in another federal election.
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....
lawyer and was briefly a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
in the Canadian House of Commons
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...
.
Chapdelaine won an upset victory in a February 1949 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Nicolet—Yamaska
Nicolet—Yamaska
Nicolet—Yamaska was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1968.-History:This riding was created in 1933 from Nicolet and Yamaska ridings.It was defined initially to consist of:...
- the first francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
riding to be won in Quebec since the Conservative Party relaunched itself as the Progressive Conservatives
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....
in 1942. While in the previous election, the Progressive Conservative candidate received only 944 votes, Chapdelaine received 8,382 votes, just over 49% of the total vote and almost 300 votes more than his rival, Liberal Paul Trahan. The victory, in a riding that had not voted Tory since 1911
Canadian federal election, 1911
The Canadian federal election of 1911 was held on September 21 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Canada.-Summary:...
, was seen as a major breakthrough for the Progressive Conservatives and for its new leader George A. Drew, one which made much more likely a Tory victory in the next federal election.
He was a supporter of the Union Nationale
Union Nationale
Union Nationale may refer to several political parties:*Union nationale , Canada*Union Nationale Rwandaise*National Union , Union nationale in French*Chadian National Union, Union Nationale Tchadienne, known as UNT...
provincially and credited his victory to the voter support for the principle of an autonomous province
Quebec Autonomism
Quebec autonomism is a political belief that Quebec should seek to gain more autonomy as a province, while remaining a part of the Canadian Confederation...
opposed to the centralization of federal powers - a policy supported by both the UN and the Tories. Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent
Louis St. Laurent
Louis Stephen St. Laurent, PC, CC, QC , was the 12th Prime Minister of Canada from 15 November 1948, to 21 June 1957....
blamed Chapdelaine's victory on the presence of a third candidate, an Independent Liberal, who they argued split the Liberal vote. The Liberals subsequently claimed that Chapdelaine had run on isolationist
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by...
and Quebec nationalist policies critical of the government's involvement in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and that his true allegiance was not to Drew but to Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the 16th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre...
.
In March 1949, Chapdelaine and Georges Heon, an Independent Conservative MP who had recently joined the Progressive Conservative caucus, signed a joint statement calling for improving the rights of Franco-Ontarians in regards to French language Separate School
Separate school
In Canada, separate school refers to a particular type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces and statutory status in three territories...
s in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
had traditionally opposed the extension of both funding for Catholic Separate Schools and French language education and Drew had been, until recently, the Premier of Ontario and leader of the provincial Tory party.
Chapdelaine was defeated four months after his initial victory, in the June 1949 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1949
The Canadian federal election of 1949 was held on June 27 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 21st Parliament of Canada. It was the first election in Canada in almost thirty years in which the Liberal Party of Canada was not led by William Lyon Mackenzie King. King had...
, as were the Progressive Conservatives nationally. While he increased his vote total to over 9,000 that was not enough to overcome Liberal contender Maurice Boisvert
Maurice Boisvert
Maurice Boisvert was a Canadian politician and lawyer. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Member of the Liberal Party in the 1949 election to represent the riding of Nicolet—Yamaska defeating Progressive Conservative MP Renaud Chapdelaine who had won an upset by-election victory...
who defeated him by almost 400 votes in a straight two candidate race. Chapdelaine returned to private life and did not run in another federal election.