Joseph-Alfred Dion
Encyclopedia
Joseph-Alfred Dion was an independent then Liberal party
member of the Canadian House of Commons
. He was born in Île-Verte, Quebec
and became a lawyer by career.
Dion was educated at Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, and at Université Laval
where he received his LLB degree.
He was first elected to Parliament at the Lake St-John—Roberval
riding as an Independent Liberal candidate in the 1945 general election
. He and several other Quebec Liberals had broken with their party the year before during the Conscription Crisis of 1944
, quitting the party in order to oppose the government's decision to deploy National Resources Mobilization Act
conscripts overseas. Previously, conscripts had only been used for "home defence" and kept within Canada. He subsequently rejoined the party and, after serving his first term in the House of Commons, ridings were realigned and Dion became a candidate in the new Roberval riding where he won in the 1949 federal election
as an official Liberal party
candidate.
From 1949 to 1952, he was the House of Commons' Deputy Speaker
. On 8 April 1952, Dion resigned his Parliamentary seat when he was appointed a puisne judge of the Superior Court of Quebec.
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...
member of 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...
. He was born in Île-Verte, Quebec
Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs, Quebec
Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs is an island municipality in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Rivière-du-Loup Regional County Municipality...
and became a lawyer by career.
Dion was educated at Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, and at Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
where he received his LLB degree.
He was first elected to Parliament at the Lake St-John—Roberval
Lake St-John—Roberval
Lake St. John—Roberval was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons.This riding was created in 1933 from parts of Lake St. John riding. It consisted of the counties of Lake St. John East and Lake St...
riding as an Independent Liberal candidate in the 1945 general election
Canadian 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...
. He and several other Quebec Liberals had broken with their party the year before during the Conscription Crisis of 1944
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....
, quitting the party in order to oppose the government's decision to deploy 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...
conscripts overseas. Previously, conscripts had only been used for "home defence" and kept within Canada. He subsequently rejoined the party and, after serving his first term in the House of Commons, ridings were realigned and Dion became a candidate in the new Roberval riding where he won in the 1949 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1949
The Canadian federal election of 1949 was held on June 27 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 21st Parliament of Canada. It was the first election in Canada in almost thirty years in which the Liberal Party of Canada was not led by William Lyon Mackenzie King. King had...
as an official Liberal party
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...
candidate.
From 1949 to 1952, he was the House of Commons' Deputy Speaker
Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow Members of Parliament...
. On 8 April 1952, Dion resigned his Parliamentary seat when he was appointed a puisne judge of the Superior Court of Quebec.