Louis-Alexandre Taschereau | |
|---|---|
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| 14thPremier of Quebec | |
| In office July 8, 1920 – June 11, 1936 | |
| Monarchs | George V Edward VIII |
| Lieutenant Governor | Charles Fitzpatrick Louis-Philippe Brodeur Narcisse Pérodeau Lomer Gouin Henry George Carroll Esioff-Léon Patenaude |
| Preceded by | Lomer Gouin |
| Succeeded by | Adélard Godbout |
| MNA for Montmorency | |
| In office December 7, 1900 – August 17, 1936 | |
| Preceded by | Édouard Bouffard |
| Succeeded by | Joseph-Félix Roy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1867-03-05)March 5, 1867 |
| Died | July 6, 1952(1952-07-06) (aged 85) Quebec City, Quebec |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Louis-Alexandre Taschereau (French pronunciation:[taʃʁo]; March 5, 1867 – July 6, 1952) was the 14thpremier of Quebec from 1920 to 1936. A member of theParti libéral du Québec, Taschereau's near 16-year tenure remains the longest uninterrupted term of office among Quebec premiers.
Taschereau was born inQuebec City,Quebec, the son ofJean-Thomas Taschereau, lawyer and judge at the Supreme Court, and Marie-Louise-Joséphine Caron.
He received a law degree fromUniversité Laval and was admitted to theBarreau du Quebec on July 9, 1889. After entering political life, he served as chief lieutenant in the Liberal government ofSir Lomer Gouin. He practised his profession in the law firm of Charles Fitzpatrick and Simon-Napoléon Parent. He was also journalist at theAction Libérale and president and vice-president of theBanque d'Economie de Québec.
A member of the Legislative Assembly from 1900 onwards, he served as PremierLomer Gouin's Minister of Public Works from 1907 to 1919.
Elected Premier in 1920, at a time when theNorth American economy began experiencing difficulties that ultimately led to theGreat Depression, he opposed U.S. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt'sNew Deal social democratic policies, saying he could not tell if it wasfascism orcommunism. Instead, he vigorously encouraged the development byprivate enterprise of the massive forests and the mineral resources of what had been theUngava Region andNunavik that theParliament of Canada had added to the Province of Quebec.
A pioneer in advocating the exploitation of the huge hydraulic potential the waterways of the new Quebec, Taschereau understood the limited capital available in a sparsely populated Canada, and actively tried to bring inAmerican investment to develop Quebec's industrial potential and try to stop mass emigration south of the border.
His policies challenged the traditionalagrarian society that the dominance and influence of theRoman Catholic Church had been able to maintain in Quebec longer than elsewhere in North America. The Liberals of Taschereau were primarily opposed by ultramontane nationalists such asHenri Bourassa, editor ofLe Devoir, and Roman Catholic priestLionel Groulx, editor ofL'action canadienne-française.
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Taschereau introduced a measure in 1930 to create aJewish board that would have provided for Jewish participation on the highest decision-making educational body in Quebec, the Quebec Council of Public Instruction. Some newspapers saw the move by Taschereau to revamp theconfessional school system as an example of an undermining ofChristianity. As a result of the opposition, the Jewish leadership did not push the issue when Taschereau was forced to repeal the Act and submit a compromise which he had the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church examine and approve beforehand. In the resulting bill, Jews were sent back into theProtestant system, and the Jewish board had no power beyond the right to negotiate a deal with the Protestant School board.
Another policy of Taschereau involved the alcohol trade. TheAlcohol Beverages Act established the Quebec Liquor Commission (predecessor to the modernSociété des alcools du Québec), which provided the government of Quebec with amonopoly on the sale ofliquor andwine during the era ofProhibition in the United States.
Taschereau created the Beaux-Arts schools inQuebec City andMontreal and subsidized scientific and literary works. He was awarded France'sLegion of Honour, theOrder of Leopold (Belgium), and made a Commander of theOrder of the Crown of Belgium.
In the later years of his premiership, discontent inside the Liberal Party became evident. The more "radical" left wing of the party left the Liberals and formed a new party, theAction libérale nationale.Paul Gouin, the son ofLomer Gouin and grandson ofHonoré Mercier, joined this new party. Later, the Action Libérale Nationale merged with theConservative Party of Quebec to form theUnion Nationale party under the leadership ofMaurice Duplessis, who had become famous by exposing the Taschereau cabinet's misdeeds before the Accounts Committee of the Legislative Assembly.
After his brother Antoine admitted to the Accounts Committee that he had deposited the interest on funds belonging to the Legislative Assembly into his personal bank account, Premier Taschereau resigned in favour of fellow LiberalAdélard Godbout, who was sworn in as premier in June 1936. Two months later Godbout lost the election to theUnion Nationale, and 40 years of Liberal rule came to an end.
The premier served on the boards of a number of major companies, including:Barclays Bank (Canada) Ltd.,Caisse d'économie,Molson Bank,Canadian Investments Funds,Bank of Montreal,Royal Trust Company,Sun Life Assurance,North American Life Assurance Company,Metropolitan Life Assurance Co.,Liverpool & London & Globe Insurance Co.,Pioneer Insurance Co.,Globe Indemnity Co. and theManitoba Liverpool Insurance Co.
Taschereau won the1923 election,1927 election,1931 election and1935 election and resigned in 1936.
On his passing in Quebec City in 1952, Taschereau was interred in theCimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont inSainte-Foy, Quebec.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Minister ofPublic Works andLabour 1907–1919 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Attorney General 1919–1936 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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