Marcel Boulic
Encyclopedia
Marcel Boulic was a politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
as a Progressive Conservative
from 1958 to 1959, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Dufferin Roblin
.
, and was educated at St. Boniface College. He was elected as a school trustee in 1940, and served in this position for three years. He was later a councillor, and then the reeve of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes. Boulic was initially a farmer in private life, and later operated a creamery.
held on June 27, 1955. He agreed to run as the Progressive Conservative candidate in Mountain after meeting with Dufferin Roblin
, who had been chosen as the party's leader the previous year. Roblin has said of their first meeting that Boulic struck him as "a man in his forties, open-faced, well set-up, of diffident manner, but clearly a leader", adding "[h]is politics were in doubt but I got know him just the same. When the by-election came, I had my man".
On election day, Boulic lost to Liberal-Progressive
candidate Walter Clark by 276 votes. Notwithstanding his defeat, Boulic's showing was considered both impressive and significant. Mountain had been considered one of the safest Liberal-Progressive seats in the province, and the Conservatives had not even fielded a candidate in the division since 1932. Several prominent Liberal-Progressives campaigned on Clark's behalf, and senior party members were reported as being concerned with the close result. Roblin wrote that Boulic, in defeat, "[laid] the foundations for victory in 1958".
Newspaper reports indicate that Clark's support came largely from Mountain's Anglo-Saxon
majority and significant Flemish
community, while Boulic did well among French Canadian
s, who made up about one third of the electorate.
, defeating incumbent Liberal-Progressive
Samuel Burch
by 512 votes in the redistributed constituency of Cypress. The Progressive Conservatives under Roblin won a minority government
in this election, and Boulic was appointed as Provincial Secretary
on June 30, 1958. He was the only Franco-Manitoban in Roblin's cabinet.
He was re-elected in the 1959 provincial election
with an increased majority. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government
in this cycle, and Boulic retained his cabinet position.
Boulic died of a heart attack a few months after the election, at his home in St. Boniface. The Winnipeg Free Press
wrote that his death "remove[d] from public life in Manitoba one of its most personable young men," describing Boulic as having wide knowledge of municipal affairs, a "contagious French Canadian sense of humour" and "rich personal charm." The paper added that he had not served long enough as Provincial Secretary to make a strong impact in the position.
At the time of Boulic's death, Dufferin Roblin described him as a "pillar of the cabinet and a very dear personal friend." He later paid him the following tribute in his memoirs:
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, 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 served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
from 1958 to 1959, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Dufferin Roblin
Dufferin Roblin
Dufferin "Duff" Roblin, PC, CC, OM was a Canadian businessman and politician. Known as "Duff," he served as the 14th Premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967. Roblin was appointed to the Canadian Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In the government of Brian Mulroney, he served as...
.
Early life and career
Boulic born at Altamont, ManitobaAltamont, Manitoba
Altamont is a community located within the rural municipality of Lorne in south central Manitoba, Canada....
, and was educated at St. Boniface College. He was elected as a school trustee in 1940, and served in this position for three years. He was later a councillor, and then the reeve of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes. Boulic was initially a farmer in private life, and later operated a creamery.
1955 by-election
Boulic first for the Manitoba legislature in a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on June 27, 1955. He agreed to run as the Progressive Conservative candidate in Mountain after meeting with Dufferin Roblin
Dufferin Roblin
Dufferin "Duff" Roblin, PC, CC, OM was a Canadian businessman and politician. Known as "Duff," he served as the 14th Premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967. Roblin was appointed to the Canadian Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In the government of Brian Mulroney, he served as...
, who had been chosen as the party's leader the previous year. Roblin has said of their first meeting that Boulic struck him as "a man in his forties, open-faced, well set-up, of diffident manner, but clearly a leader", adding "[h]is politics were in doubt but I got know him just the same. When the by-election came, I had my man".
On election day, Boulic lost to Liberal-Progressive
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
candidate Walter Clark by 276 votes. Notwithstanding his defeat, Boulic's showing was considered both impressive and significant. Mountain had been considered one of the safest Liberal-Progressive seats in the province, and the Conservatives had not even fielded a candidate in the division since 1932. Several prominent Liberal-Progressives campaigned on Clark's behalf, and senior party members were reported as being concerned with the close result. Roblin wrote that Boulic, in defeat, "[laid] the foundations for victory in 1958".
Newspaper reports indicate that Clark's support came largely from Mountain's Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
majority and significant Flemish
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
community, while Boulic did well among French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
s, who made up about one third of the electorate.
Legislator
Boulic was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1958 provincial electionManitoba general election, 1958
Manitoba's general election of June 16, 1958 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was the first to be held in Manitoba after a comprehensive electoral redistribution in 1956...
, defeating incumbent Liberal-Progressive
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
Samuel Burch
Samuel Burch
Samuel Edward Burch was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a Liberal-Progressive from 1949 to 1958.Burch was born in Carberry and educated at Brucefield School in Manitoba...
by 512 votes in the redistributed constituency of Cypress. The Progressive Conservatives under Roblin won a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
in this election, and Boulic was appointed as Provincial Secretary
Provincial Secretary (Manitoba)
The position of Provincial Secretary was particularly important in Manitoba from 1870 to 1874, as that province's institutions were being established. The province had no Premier during this period, and its Lieutenant-Governor acted as the de facto leaders of government...
on June 30, 1958. He was the only Franco-Manitoban in Roblin's cabinet.
He was re-elected in the 1959 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1959
Manitoba's general election of May 14, 1959 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin...
with an increased majority. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
in this cycle, and Boulic retained his cabinet position.
Boulic died of a heart attack a few months after the election, at his home in St. Boniface. The Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
wrote that his death "remove[d] from public life in Manitoba one of its most personable young men," describing Boulic as having wide knowledge of municipal affairs, a "contagious French Canadian sense of humour" and "rich personal charm." The paper added that he had not served long enough as Provincial Secretary to make a strong impact in the position.
At the time of Boulic's death, Dufferin Roblin described him as a "pillar of the cabinet and a very dear personal friend." He later paid him the following tribute in his memoirs:
- [Boulic was] first and foremost a Franco-Manitoban, with that solid Norman temperament we often see in the province. His transition from rural reeve to provincial cabinet minister was difficult for him because it brought him into an entirely new circle of activity, both in government and indeed in city life. He was making a very good fist of things when unfortunately he died of a heart attack on September 22, 1959. [...] This was a blow from which I never recovered because never again was I able to have Franco-Manitoban representation in cabinet.