Liguori Lacombe
Encyclopedia
Joseph-Roméo-Liguori Lacombe, (June 17, 1895 - April 13, 1957) generally known as Liguori Lacombe was a Member of Parliament
in the Canadian House of Commons
from 1925 to 1930 and again from 1935 to 1948. He is best known for having quit the Liberal Party of Canada
because of his isolationist
opposition to Canada's entry into World War II
and for campaigning against the government during the Conscription Crisis of World War II
.
. He earned fame for his involvement in several high profile murder cases.
, Quebec
in the 1925 federal election
. He was re-elected in 1926
but defeated by former Quebec Conservative Party leader Arthur Sauvé
in the 1930 federal election
.
Lacombe returned to parliament as a Liberal in the 1935 federal election
defeating tfederal Minister of Marine and Fisheries Lucien Henri Gendron
who had opted to run in Laval—Two Mountains after Sauvé was appointed to the Canadian Senate
.
. He and fellow maverick Liberal Wilfrid Lacroix
introduced an amendment calling for "non-participation" in the war, reflecting some reluctance in French Canada to join Britain in war. The two MPs, who proved to be the amendment's only supporters, were condemned in a Globe and Mail
editorial the following day as "two French-Canadians who gained eternal distinction by an attitude unworthy of their people and country."
He stood as an "Independent Liberal" in the 1940 federal election
and was re-elected, defeating the official Liberal nominee by almost 2,000 votes.
Later that year, Lacombe and Lacroix attempted to lead a revolt of Quebec MPs against the National Resources Mobilization Act
. The bill gave the government emergency powers to mobilize resources, including manpower for the war effort, called up all men between the ages of 19 and 45 for a thirty day training period, and required everyone over the age of 16 to register with the government in preparation for a possible draft
. Lacombe and Lacroix moved an amendment that would have substituted the measures of the act with a statement that Canadian participation in the war must be free, voluntary and moderate. The government responded during the debate by insisting that the measures are for home defence only and that there would be no conscription for overseas service.
In 1942, Liguiori formed the Parti Canadien
to run candidates in two federal by-elections on a platform opposing the imposition of conscription and to opposed Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
's plan to hold a plebiscite on conscription
. The party stood candidates against Liberal Louis St. Laurent
in Quebec East
and Gaspard Fauteux in Montreal St. Mary
and did well enough to inspire other anti-conscriptionists to form the Bloc populaire canadien
later that year.
Lacombe used the party as a platform to campaign for a "no" vote during the April plebiscite on conscription. In June he invited Quebec Liberal MPs who opposed conscription to join his party but had no takers, remaining the party's sole MP.
He subsequently was part of an unofficial "Independents Group" of five anti-conscription MPs led by Frédéric Dorion
.
, Lacombe and the other members of the Independents Group led by Dorion joined with former Liberal cabinet minister Pierre Joseph Arthur Cardin
, who had quit the Mackenzie King cabinet in 1942 over the issue of conscription, to form the "National Front" which was to be a united nationalist party. However, Cardin dropped the National Front project a month before the election when several nationalist candidates and groups failed to join and Lacombe was re-elected an Independent MP, defeating his Liberal opponent by 300 votes.
He resigned from the House of Commons in 1948 in order to accept an appointment as district magistrate
by the provincial government of Maurice Duplessis
.
Lacombe also served as mayor of Ste-Scholastique, Quebec from 1935 to 1948.
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...
from 1925 to 1930 and again from 1935 to 1948. He is best known for having quit the Liberal Party of Canada
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...
because of his 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...
opposition to Canada's entry into 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 for campaigning against the government during the Conscription Crisis of World War II
Conscription Crisis of 1944
The Conscription Crisis of 1944 was a political and military crisis following the introduction of forced military service in Canada during World War II. It was similar to the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but was not as politically damaging....
.
Early life and career
Lacombe was born and raised in Ste-Scholastique, Quebec. He studied law at the University of Montreal and began his practice in 1923 working out of law offices in both Ste-Scholastique and MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. He earned fame for his involvement in several high profile murder cases.
Political career
Lacombe was first elected to parliament as the Liberal MP for Laval—Two MountainsLaval—Two Mountains
Laval—Two Mountains was a federal electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1949.This riding was created in 1914 from Laval and Two Mountains ridings.It initially consisted of:...
, 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....
in the 1925 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1925
The Canadian federal election of 1925 was held on October 29 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 15th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberal Party formed a minority government. This precipitated the "King-Byng Affair".The Liberals under...
. He was re-elected in 1926
Canadian federal election, 1926
The Canadian federal election of 1926 was held on September 14 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 16th Parliament of Canada. The election was called following an event known as the King-Byng Affair...
but defeated by former Quebec Conservative Party leader Arthur Sauvé
Arthur Sauvé
Arthur Sauvé, PC was born in Saint-Hermas .The Legislative Assembly of Quebec member for Deux-Montagnes from 1908 to 1930, he was leader of the Quebec Conservative Party but never premier...
in the 1930 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1930
The Canadian federal election of 1930 was held on July 28, 1930 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 17th Parliament of Canada...
.
Lacombe returned to parliament as a Liberal in the 1935 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1935
The Canadian federal election of 1935 was held on October 14, 1935 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 18th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of William Lyon Mackenzie King won a majority government, defeating Prime Minister R.B. Bennett's Conservative Party.The central...
defeating tfederal Minister of Marine and Fisheries Lucien Henri Gendron
Lucien Henri Gendron
Lucien Henri Gendron, was a Canadian politician.In August 1935, he was appointed Minister of Marine and Fisheries in the Conservative cabinet of Richard Bedford Bennett. He was defeated in the 1935 federal election in the Quebec riding of Laval—Two Mountains.-References:...
who had opted to run in Laval—Two Mountains after Sauvé was appointed to the Canadian Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
.
Opposition to World War II
On September 10, 1939, Lacombe broke with the Liberal Party to vote against Canada's entry into World War IIWorld 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...
. He and fellow maverick Liberal Wilfrid Lacroix
Wilfrid Lacroix
Wilfrid Lacroix was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1958. His affiliation was mostly with the Liberal party except between 1944 and 1949 when he left the party to act as an "Independent Liberal" member....
introduced an amendment calling for "non-participation" in the war, reflecting some reluctance in French Canada to join Britain in war. The two MPs, who proved to be the amendment's only supporters, were condemned in a Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
editorial the following day as "two French-Canadians who gained eternal distinction by an attitude unworthy of their people and country."
He stood as an "Independent Liberal" in the 1940 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1940
The Canadian federal election of 1940 was the 19th general election in Canadian history. It was held March 26, 1940 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 19th Parliament of Canada...
and was re-elected, defeating the official Liberal nominee by almost 2,000 votes.
Later that year, Lacombe and Lacroix attempted to lead a revolt of Quebec MPs against the National Resources Mobilization Act
National Resources Mobilization Act
National Resources Mobilization Act is a Canadian government statute which enabled conscription in Canada during World War II. The bill, passed by Parliament on June 21, 1940, permitted conscripts to be used for home defence only and not to be deployed overseas but was modified lolin August 1942 to...
. The bill gave the government emergency powers to mobilize resources, including manpower for the war effort, called up all men between the ages of 19 and 45 for a thirty day training period, and required everyone over the age of 16 to register with the government in preparation for a possible draft
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
. Lacombe and Lacroix moved an amendment that would have substituted the measures of the act with a statement that Canadian participation in the war must be free, voluntary and moderate. The government responded during the debate by insisting that the measures are for home defence only and that there would be no conscription for overseas service.
In 1942, Liguiori formed the Parti Canadien
Parti canadien (1942)
The Parti canadien was an anti-conscriptionist party formed by Member of Parliament Liguori Lacombe in 1942. Lacombe was the MP for Laval—Two Mountains and an isolationist, who opposed Canada's participation in World War II and the implementation of conscription...
to run candidates in two federal by-elections on a platform opposing the imposition of conscription and to opposed Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
's plan to hold a plebiscite on conscription
Conscription Crisis of 1944
The Conscription Crisis of 1944 was a political and military crisis following the introduction of forced military service in Canada during World War II. It was similar to the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but was not as politically damaging....
. The party stood candidates against Liberal 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....
in Quebec East
Quebec East
Quebec East was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 2004....
and Gaspard Fauteux in Montreal St. Mary
St. Mary (electoral district)
St. Mary was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1892 to 1953.This riding was created in 1892 from parts of Montreal East riding....
and did well enough to inspire other anti-conscriptionists to form the Bloc populaire canadien
Bloc populaire canadien
The Bloc populaire canadien was a political party in the Canadian province of Quebec from 1942 to 1947. It was founded on September 8, 1942 by opponents of conscription during World War II...
later that year.
Lacombe used the party as a platform to campaign for a "no" vote during the April plebiscite on conscription. In June he invited Quebec Liberal MPs who opposed conscription to join his party but had no takers, remaining the party's sole MP.
He subsequently was part of an unofficial "Independents Group" of five anti-conscription MPs led by Frédéric Dorion
Frédéric Dorion
Frédéric Dorion was a Quebec politician and chief justice. He led a group of Independent MPs in the Canadian House of Commons who were opposed to the implementation of conscription during World War II....
.
Later political career
In the weeks before the 1945 federal electionCanadian federal election, 1945
The Canadian federal election of 1945 was the 20th general election in Canadian history. It was held June 11, 1945 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 20th Parliament of Canada...
, Lacombe and the other members of the Independents Group led by Dorion joined with former Liberal cabinet minister Pierre Joseph Arthur Cardin
Pierre Joseph Arthur Cardin
Pierre Joseph Arthur Cardin, also known as Arthur Cardin was a Canadian politician who quit the cabinet of William Lyon Mackenzie King over the issue of conscription....
, who had quit the Mackenzie King cabinet in 1942 over the issue of conscription, to form the "National Front" which was to be a united nationalist party. However, Cardin dropped the National Front project a month before the election when several nationalist candidates and groups failed to join and Lacombe was re-elected an Independent MP, defeating his Liberal opponent by 300 votes.
He resigned from the House of Commons in 1948 in order to accept an appointment as district magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
by the provincial government of 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...
.
Lacombe also served as mayor of Ste-Scholastique, Quebec from 1935 to 1948.