John LaBossiere was a Canadian

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...

 politician, who served as leader of the New Brunswick New Democratic Party

New Brunswick New Democratic Party

The New Brunswick New Democratic Party is a social-democratic provincial political party in New Brunswick, Canada linked with the federal New Democratic Party .-Origins and early history:...

 from 1976 to 1980. The party's first francophone

Francophone

The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....

 leader, he was noted for making inroads into the province's Acadian

Acadian

The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...

 community, taking the party to a then-record level of support in the 1978 provincial election

New Brunswick general election, 1978

The 29th New Brunswick general election was held on October 23, 1978, to elect 58 members to the 49th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Richard Hatfield's Progressive Conservative Party narrowly won its third term.In the lead up to...

. He was also an early advocate of environmentalism

Environmentalism

Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...

 in the province, building his campaign on opposition to aerial spraying and to the proposed Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station

Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station

Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station is a Canadian nuclear power station located 2 km northeast of Point Lepreau, New Brunswick. The facility was constructed between 1975-1983 by NB Power, the provincially-owned public utility....

.

A teacher by profession, he taught at the Bonar Law High School in Rexton, New Brunswick

Rexton, New Brunswick

Rexton is a Canadian village in Kent County, New Brunswick.Situated on the Richibucto River, the village was originally inhabited by Mi'kmaqs, many of whose descendants still reside in the nearby Elsipogtog First Nation, formerly referred to as the Big Cove Band...

 and was married to Ferne (Fearon) LaBossiere, a native of Tide Head, New Brunswick

Tide Head, New Brunswick

Tide Head is a Canadian village in Restigouche County, New Brunswick.-Geography:Located on the south bank of the Restigouche River 10 km west of Campbellton, the village is situated where the tides on the Restigouche River cease to become visible, the reason for its name.-History:The first...

. He was a graduate of the University of New Brunswick. LaBossiere was active in many community organizations and deeply committed to many causes. He was elected and served on the Rexton-Richibucto school board for many years.