Félix-Gabriel Marchand
Encyclopedia
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 the 11th Premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
from May 24, 1897 to September 25, 1900.
Born in what is Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec
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....
today, he was the son of Gabriel Marchand and Mary McNider, a woman of the Anglican faith and of Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
ancestry. As a child, he attended English schools and was taught in French at the age of 11. Fluently bilingual
Bilingualism in Canada
The official languages of Canada are English and French, which "have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada" according to Canada's constitution...
, Marchand became a journalist and writer. He became a notary and practised this profession for 45 years, but continued journalism and writing as well.
He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec
Legislative Assembly of Quebec
The Legislative Assembly of Quebec was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature until 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, the upper house of the legislature, the Legislative Council, was abolished...
in the 1867 Quebec provincial election
Quebec general election, 1867
The Quebec general election of 1867 was held in August and September of 1867 to elect members of the 1st Legislative Assembly for the Province of Quebec, Canada...
for the district of Saint-Jean
Saint-Jean (provincial electoral district)
Saint-Jean is a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec. Located in the Montérégie region south of Montreal, the riding was created in 1853. During the Liberal term under Adelard Godbout, it was part of the riding of Saint-Jean-Napierville between 1939 and 1944...
and retained his seat for 33 years until his death. He was Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Official Opposition (Quebec)
This is a list of the leaders of the opposition party of Quebec, Canada since Confederation .Note that the leader of the Opposition is not always the leader of the political party with the second-largest number of seats, in cases where the leader of that party does not have a seat.There was no...
from 1892 to 1897, and then won the 1897 election
Quebec general election, 1897
The Quebec general election of 1897 was held on May 11, 1897 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by Félix-Gabriel Marchand, defeated the incumbent Quebec Conservative Party, led by Edmund James Flynn.This marked the start of...
as leader of the Liberal Party.
As premier, Marchand attempted to create a Ministry of Education in 1898. At the time, education was entirely in the hands of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in the province. His legislation was passed by the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of Quebec
The Legislative Assembly of Quebec was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature until 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, the upper house of the legislature, the Legislative Council, was abolished...
(the lower chamber of Quebec's legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
), but was defeated in the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Quebec
From 1867 until 1968, the Legislative Council of Quebec was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canadian province of Quebec...
(the upper house). It was not until 1964 that a Ministry of Education was finally created in Quebec.
Félix-Gabriel Marchand was still in office when he died in 1900 in Quebec 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...
. He is interred in the cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont
Cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont
The Cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont is located at 2176 avenue Chapdelaine in Quebec City in the province of Quebec, Canada. The cemetery was built between 1857 and 1859.-Notable interments:...
in Sainte-Foy, Quebec
Sainte-Foy, Quebec
Sainte-Foy is a former city in central Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River. It was amalgamated into Quebec City on January 1, 2002. Most of Sainte-Foy is in the Borough of Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge....
.
He won the 1897 election
Quebec general election, 1897
The Quebec general election of 1897 was held on May 11, 1897 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by Félix-Gabriel Marchand, defeated the incumbent Quebec Conservative Party, led by Edmund James Flynn.This marked the start of...
and died in office in 1900.