Rodrigue Biron
Encyclopedia
Rodrigue Biron is a politician in Quebec
, Canada
. He was leader of the Union Nationale political party from 1976 to 1980, when he joined the Parti Québécois
.
. Prior to entering provincial politics, he had been a card-carrying supporter of the Liberal Party of Quebec.
, it lost all of the seats that it had held in the previous National Assembly. However, the party returned to the National Assembly of Quebec
by winning a by-election
in 1974.
Biron led the party to a modest comeback in the 1976 election
, winning 11 seats. The party even elected a member (William Shaw) in an anglophone riding, capitalizing on discontent with Bill 22 language legislation passed by the Liberal Party of Quebec government of Robert Bourassa
.
The 1976 election had been won by the sovereigntist
Parti Québécois
(PQ), however, and the nationalist
vote on which the UN had previously counted for support gravitated toward that party. Biron resigned as Union Nationale leader on March 3, 1980, and joined the PQ on November 11 of that year.
In the 1981 election
, he was elected as a PQ member of the National Assembly, and served in various cabinet posts. Meanwhile, his former party the Union Nationale was once again wiped out in the 1981 election, this time for good—the party never won another seat, and eventually ceased to exist.
The PQ lost the 1985 election
, and Biron lost his seat.
, a federal (Canadian) sovereigntist party.
Biron's brother Paul is a perennial candidate
in provincial politics who ran under differents labels including Parti démocratie chrétienne du Québec
.
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...
. He was leader of the Union Nationale political party from 1976 to 1980, when he joined the Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
.
Background
Biron was manager of his family’s sewer pipe factory in Sainte-Croix, QuebecSainte-Croix, Quebec
Sainte-Croix is a municipality in and the seat of the Municipalité régionale de comté de Lotbinière in Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Chaudière-Appalaches region and the population is 2,433 as of 2009...
. Prior to entering provincial politics, he had been a card-carrying supporter of the Liberal Party of Quebec.
Member of the legislature
He became the leader of the conservative Union Nationale (UN) party on May 23, 1976. The UN had once dominated Quebec provincial politics, but in the 1973 electionQuebec 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...
, it lost all of the seats that it had held in the previous National Assembly. However, the party returned to 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...
by winning a 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 1974.
Biron led the party to a modest comeback in the 1976 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...
, winning 11 seats. The party even elected a member (William Shaw) in an anglophone riding, capitalizing on discontent with Bill 22 language legislation passed by the Liberal Party of Quebec government of Robert Bourassa
Robert Bourassa
Jean-Robert Bourassa, was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 22nd Premier of Quebec in two different mandates, first from May 12, 1970, to November 25, 1976, and then from December 12, 1985, to January 11, 1994, serving a total of just under 15 years as Provincial Premier.-Early...
.
The 1976 election had been won by the sovereigntist
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...
Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
(PQ), however, and the nationalist
Quebec nationalism
Quebec nationalism is a nationalist movement in the Canadian province of Quebec .-1534–1774:Canada was first a french colony. Jacques Cartier claimed it for France in 1534, and permanent French settlement began in 1608. It was part of New France, which constituted all French colonies in North America...
vote on which the UN had previously counted for support gravitated toward that party. Biron resigned as Union Nationale leader on March 3, 1980, and joined the PQ on November 11 of that year.
In the 1981 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...
, he was elected as a PQ member of the National Assembly, and served in various cabinet posts. Meanwhile, his former party the Union Nationale was once again wiped out in the 1981 election, this time for good—the party never won another seat, and eventually ceased to exist.
The PQ lost the 1985 election
Quebec general election, 1985
The Quebec general election of 1985 was held on December 2, 1985, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by former premier Robert Bourassa, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by premier Pierre-Marc Johnson.This election...
, and Biron lost his seat.
Federal politics
In 1997, he unsuccessfully ran for the leadership of the Bloc QuébécoisBloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
, a federal (Canadian) sovereigntist party.
Biron's brother Paul is a perennial candidate
Perennial candidate
A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run without any serious hope...
in provincial politics who ran under differents labels including Parti démocratie chrétienne du Québec
Parti démocratie chrétienne du Québec
The Parti démocratie chrétienne du Québec is a social conservative political party in Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 2000 by Roman Catholics associated with the Centre d’Information nationale Robert Rumilly. The founding leader of the party was Gilles Noël.Its program is a combination of...
.
See also
- Politics of QuebecPolitics of QuebecThe politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
- 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 :...
- List of Quebec general elections
- List of third party leaders (Quebec)