Action libérale nationale
Encyclopedia
The Action libérale nationale (ALN, in English
: National Liberal Action) was a short-lived provincial political party
in Quebec
, Canada
. It was founded during the Great Depression
and led by Paul Gouin
. The ALN played an important role in the foundation of the Union Nationale.
Member of Parliament
Édouard Lacroix
and Liberal Member of the Legislature
Oscar Drouin
.
The ALN promoted social justice
, nationalism
and was not affiliated to any federal party. Its platform included the following proposals:
Its ideology was influenced by the social doctrine of the Catholic Church
.
. With 29% of the vote, the ALN elected 26 out of 57 candidates; the Conservatives received 19% of the vote and won 16 seat out of 33 in which they ran a candidate.
, a rising star in provincial politics, tried to pressure ALN Leader Paul Gouin
into merging both parties. While Gouin cuts ties with Duplessis, 22 of his Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) joined the new party, known as Union Nationale, which won the 1936 Quebec election
.
Gouin did not run for re-election to the legislature in 1936. ALN MNAs Vital Cliche
, Wilfrid-Eldège Lauriault
and Frederick Arthur Monk
ran for re-election as Independents. None of them were elected. Cliche ran as an Action libérale nationale candidate in a by-election
held on March 17, 1937 in his home district of Beauce
. He was defeated.
The ALN opposed conscription and contested the 1939 Quebec election
. Other than Gouin who took the leadership, the party was unable to attract any of its former candidates from the 1935 election
. Instead René Chaloult
and Oscar Drouin
, who had grown disillusioned with Duplessis after they joined the Union Nationale, ran as Liberal candidates. The party won only 4.5% of the vote and none of its 56 candidates were elected. It disappeared soon after.
in Quebec politics, many of its policies were eventually implemented by the provincial governments of Maurice Duplessis, Adélard Godbout
and Jean Lesage
.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: National Liberal Action) was a short-lived provincial political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in 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....
, 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...
. It was founded during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and led by Paul Gouin
Paul Gouin
Paul Gouin was a politician in Quebec, Canada. was the son of Lomer Gouin and the grandson of Honoré Mercier...
. The ALN played an important role in the foundation of the Union Nationale.
Origin and beliefs
The party was created in 1934 by dissidents from the Liberal Party of Quebec. It soon received the support of federal LiberalLiberal 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...
Member of Parliament
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...
Édouard Lacroix
Édouard Lacroix
-Background:He was born on January 6, 1889 in Sainte-Marie, Quebec. He made career in forestry and opened a lumber plant in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine. He was the grandfather of businessmen Marcel and Robert Dutil.-Member of Parliament:...
and Liberal Member of the Legislature
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...
Oscar Drouin
Oscar Drouin
Oscar Drouin was a politician in Quebec, Canada.-Member of the legislature:Drouin won a by-election in 1928 and became the Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for the district of Québec-Est...
.
The ALN promoted social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
, nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and was not affiliated to any federal party. Its platform included the following proposals:
- Farm credit;
- Voluntary migrationHuman migrationHuman migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
from cities to rural areas; - Rural electrificationRural electrificationRural electrification is the process of bringing electrical power to rural and remote areas. Electricity is used not only for lighting and household purposes, but it also allows for mechanization of many farming operations, such as threshing, milking, and hoisting grain for storage; in areas...
; - NationalizationNationalizationNationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
of electricity; - Corporativism;
- Electoral reformElectoral reformElectoral reform is change in electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:...
;
Its ideology was influenced by the social doctrine of the Catholic Church
Catholic social teaching
Catholic social teaching is a body of doctrine developed by the Catholic Church on matters of poverty and wealth, economics, social organization and the role of the state...
.
Electoral breakthrough
In order to unite the vote against the Liberal government of Alexandre Taschereau, the Action libérale nationale (ALN) and the Conservative Party of Quebec decided to run only one candidate of either party in each district for the 1935 Quebec electionQuebec general election, 1935
The Quebec general election of 1935 was held on November 25, 1935 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada...
. With 29% of the vote, the ALN elected 26 out of 57 candidates; the Conservatives received 19% of the vote and won 16 seat out of 33 in which they ran a candidate.
Decline
Less than a year later, Conservative Leader Maurice DuplessisMaurice 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...
, a rising star in provincial politics, tried to pressure ALN Leader Paul Gouin
Paul Gouin
Paul Gouin was a politician in Quebec, Canada. was the son of Lomer Gouin and the grandson of Honoré Mercier...
into merging both parties. While Gouin cuts ties with Duplessis, 22 of his Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) joined the new party, known as Union Nationale, which won the 1936 Quebec election
Quebec general election, 1936
The Quebec general election of 1936 was held on August 17, 1936 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale, led by Maurice Duplessis, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Adélard Godbout.This marked the end of slightly more...
.
Gouin did not run for re-election to the legislature in 1936. ALN MNAs Vital Cliche
Vital Cliche
Vital Cliche was a politician Quebec, Canada and a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec .-Early life:He was born on September 10, 1890 in Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec and became an insurance broker...
, Wilfrid-Eldège Lauriault
Wilfrid-Eldège Lauriault
Wilfrid-Eldège Lauriault was a politician Quebec, Canada and a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec .-Member of the legislature:...
and Frederick Arthur Monk
Frederick Arthur Monk
-Background:He was born in Montreal on July 16, 1884 and was the son of Frederick Debartzch Monk.-Member of the legislature:He was elected as the Action libérale nationale candidate to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in 1935 in the district of Jacques-Cartier. He refused to joined the newly...
ran for re-election as Independents. None of them were elected. Cliche ran as an Action libérale nationale candidate in 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....
held on March 17, 1937 in his home district of Beauce
Beauce (provincial electoral district)
Beauce is a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada Situated in the Chaudiere-Appalaches and Estrie regions, the that district existed from 1867 to after the 1970 elections when it was split into two new ridings: Beauce-Nord and Beauce-Sud.-Members of Legislative Assembly:*...
. He was defeated.
The ALN opposed conscription and contested the 1939 Quebec election
Quebec general election, 1939
The Quebec general election of 1939 was held on October 25, 1939 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada...
. Other than Gouin who took the leadership, the party was unable to attract any of its former candidates from the 1935 election
Quebec general election, 1935
The Quebec general election of 1935 was held on November 25, 1935 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada...
. Instead René Chaloult
René Chaloult
René Chaloult was a nationalist politician in Quebec, Canada.-Political career:Chaloult first won a seat to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec as a Union Nationale candidate in the 1936 election in the district of Kamouraska...
and Oscar Drouin
Oscar Drouin
Oscar Drouin was a politician in Quebec, Canada.-Member of the legislature:Drouin won a by-election in 1928 and became the Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for the district of Québec-Est...
, who had grown disillusioned with Duplessis after they joined the Union Nationale, ran as Liberal candidates. The party won only 4.5% of the vote and none of its 56 candidates were elected. It disappeared soon after.
Legacy
Even though the ALN did not survive the 1930s realignmentRealigning election
Realigning election are terms from political science and political history describing a dramatic change in the political system. Scholars frequently apply the term to American elections and occasionally to other countries...
in Quebec politics, many of its policies were eventually implemented by the provincial governments of Maurice Duplessis, Adélard Godbout
Adélard Godbout
Joseph-Adélard Godbout was an agronomist and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 15th Premier of Quebec briefly in 1936, and again from 1939 to 1944. He was also leader of the Parti Libéral du Québec .-Youth and early career:Adélard Godbout was born in Saint-Éloi...
and Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage, PC, CC, CD was a lawyer and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 19th Premier of Quebec from 22 June 1960, to 16 August 1966...
.
Election results
| General election | # of candidates | # of seats won | % of popular vote |
| 1935 | 57 | 26 | 29.57% |
| 1936 | No candidates ran under the ALN label in 1936. | ||
| 1939 | 56 | 0 | 4.53% |
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...
- Quebec general electionsQuebec general electionsThis article provides a summary of results for the general elections to the Canadian province of Quebecs unicameral legislative body, the National Assembly of Quebec...
- List of Quebec premiers
- List of Quebec leaders of the Opposition
- National Assembly of QuebecNational Assembly of QuebecThe 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...
- Timeline of Quebec historyTimeline of Quebec historyThis article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, Britain or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on Quebec's history....
- Political parties in Quebec