Roger Teillet
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste Roger Joseph Camille Teillet, PC
(August 21, 1912 – May 1, 2002) was a Canadian
politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
as a Liberal-Progressive
from 1953 to 1959, and in the Canadian House of Commons
as a Liberal
from 1962 to 1968. Teillet was a cabinet minister in the government of Lester B. Pearson
, and retained that post after Pearson stepped down and Pierre Elliott Trudeau became the new Liberal leader.
, to Sara Riel and Camille Teillet, Roger Teillet was a direct descendant of Marie-Anne Gaboury
and Jean-Baptiste Lagimodière
, who were the first white settlers in Canada's west and also were the grandparents of Louis Riel
. Roger was the grandson of Joseph Riel, Louis Riel's younger brother.
Roger was educated in St. Vital and St. Boniface schools, and at St. Boniface College. He continued his studies as a prisoner-of-war in Germany
, where an educational program using the expertise of prisoners had been set up.
Roger was a flight lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Air Force
and a navigator on a Halifax bomber in World War II
. He took part in 24 successful bombing missions over Germany
before being shot down over France
in 1943. After evading German soldiers for 15 days, he was captured at the Rivière Cher, and spent almost three years as a prisoner of war
in Stalag Luft III
, southeast of Berlin
in the then province of Silesia
. The camp was located at Sagan, now in Polish territory and called Zagan. Conditions in this camp were not as brutal as in many others because it was a camp specifically for officers, and officers were not subject to forced labour. Stalag Luft III
was made famous after the war because of Paul Brickhill
's book, The Great Escape
, a book which was also made into a movie.
In January 1945, prisoners from camps all over Germany were herded from the camps and forced to walk the length and breadth of Germany, in an effort to evade the encroaching Allied armies. On May 5, 1945, Roger and the others were turned over to the British Army
not far from Bremen
. Their guards surrendered and the prisoners were airlifted to Brussels
.
Upon his return to Canada, Roger went into the insurance business in Winnipeg. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus
and active in his Catholic parish of Précieux-sang. When his two sons, Philippe and Richard, were in school, he became a trustee in the separate school system.
Roger had always been involved in politics. He was a party organizer before ever going overseas, and was an original members of the St. Vital Young Liberals when still a teenager. Now, in the post-war years, he became very active in the Manitoba Liberal Association, acting as the vice-president. He also served in many capacities on the federal liberal party's executive in Winnipeg South Centre
.
, finishing atop the polls in the constituency of St. Boniface, which in those days elected two members via a single transferable ballot. For the next five years, Roger sat as a backbencher in Premier Douglas Lloyd Campbell's government.
Manitoba abandoned its multi-member constituencies in 1956, and Roger was re-elected for the now single-member seat of St. Boniface in the 1958 provincial election
. The Liberal-Progressives
were defeated in this election, and Roger did not seek re-election in 1959.
Roger ran for a seat in the House of Commons in the federal election of 1962
, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative Laurier Regnier
by 2,601 votes in the federal riding of St. Boniface. He defeated Regnier again in the 1963 election
, when the Liberals won a minority government
under Lester B. Pearson
.
On April 22, 1963, Roger was appointed Minister of Veterans Affairs
by Prime Minister Pearson
.
As Minister of Veterans Affairs, Roger was involved in some controversial projects. The Royal Canadian Legion
was vehemently opposed to any new flag for Canada and Roger was required to be a mediary. He sat on the New Flag Committee as an ex officio member. He was also involved in the revamping of Canada's veterans' hospitals. In both 1964 and 1966, he represented Canada at war commemorative ceremonies at war cemeteries in Europe. At this time, he toured Canada's war graves. He was dismayed at the condition of the monument at Vimy Ridge. He brought his concern forward but work did not begin on the monument until 1984. Still, it was through Roger's effort that the monument was eventually restored.
Roger saw to it that Vimy Ridge was properly recognized at Vimy Park in Winnipeg
, and established a memorial in Halifax
dedicated to Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
members who died in the World War II
. As a Métis
, Roger brought forward the concerns of the Métis in parliament, particularly as they involved the cause that Louis Riel
had died for.
Roger was re-elected over Progressive Conservative candidate Harry DeLeeuw in 1965 but, in 1968, he unexpectedly lost the Liberal nomination for St. Boniface to Joseph-Philippe Guay. Choosing not to run in another riding, Roger formally resigned from Cabinet on July 5, 1968.
Roger was then appointed to head the Canada Pension Commission by Prime Minister Trudeau. While still in Cabinet, Roger had been working with this Commission with a view to reforming veterans' pensions. He served on this Commission until his retirement in 1980.
Roger Teillet was married to Jeanne Boux of St. Boniface, Manitoba. They had two sons and there are two grandchildren. Jeanne predeceased him by two years, and their younger son, Richard, died of cancer in 2003. All three are buried in Green Acres Cemetery in St. Boniface. Their eldest son, Philippe Teillet, is a professor at the University of Lethbridge
.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
(August 21, 1912 – May 1, 2002) 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. 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 Liberal-Progressive
Liberal-Progressive
Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1926 and 1953. In federal and Ontario politics, there was no formal Liberal-Progressive party, but it was an alliance between two separate parties...
from 1953 to 1959, and 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...
as a Liberal
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...
from 1962 to 1968. Teillet was a cabinet minister in the government of Lester B. Pearson
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
, and retained that post after Pearson stepped down and Pierre Elliott Trudeau became the new Liberal leader.
Early life
Born on River Road in St. Vital, ManitobaManitoba
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...
, to Sara Riel and Camille Teillet, Roger Teillet was a direct descendant of Marie-Anne Gaboury
Marie-Anne Gaboury
Marie-Anne Lagimodière was a French-Canadian woman noted as both the grandmother of Louis Riel, and as the first woman of European descent to travel to and settle in what is now Western Canada....
and Jean-Baptiste Lagimodière
Jean-Baptiste Lagimodière
Jean-Baptiste Lagimodière was a French Canadian trapper employed in the fur trade by the Hudson's Bay Company in Rupert's Land....
, who were the first white settlers in Canada's west and also were the grandparents of Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
. Roger was the grandson of Joseph Riel, Louis Riel's younger brother.
Roger was educated in St. Vital and St. Boniface schools, and at St. Boniface College. He continued his studies as a prisoner-of-war in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where an educational program using the expertise of prisoners had been set up.
Roger was a flight lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
and a navigator on a Halifax bomber in 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...
. He took part in 24 successful bombing missions over Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
before being shot down over France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1943. After evading German soldiers for 15 days, he was captured at the Rivière Cher, and spent almost three years as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
in Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
, southeast of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in the then province of Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. The camp was located at Sagan, now in Polish territory and called Zagan. Conditions in this camp were not as brutal as in many others because it was a camp specifically for officers, and officers were not subject to forced labour. Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
was made famous after the war because of Paul Brickhill
Paul Brickhill
Paul Chester Jerome Brickhill was an Australian writer, whose World War II books were turned into popular movies.-Biography:...
's book, The Great Escape
The Great Escape (book)
The Great Escape is an insider's account by Paul Brickhill of the 1944 mass escape from the German prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III for British and Commonwealth airmen. As a prisoner in the camp, he participated in the escape plan but was debarred from the actual escape 'along with three or...
, a book which was also made into a movie.
In January 1945, prisoners from camps all over Germany were herded from the camps and forced to walk the length and breadth of Germany, in an effort to evade the encroaching Allied armies. On May 5, 1945, Roger and the others were turned over to the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
not far from Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. Their guards surrendered and the prisoners were airlifted to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
Upon his return to Canada, Roger went into the insurance business in Winnipeg. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
and active in his Catholic parish of Précieux-sang. When his two sons, Philippe and Richard, were in school, he became a trustee in the separate school system.
Roger had always been involved in politics. He was a party organizer before ever going overseas, and was an original members of the St. Vital Young Liberals when still a teenager. Now, in the post-war years, he became very active in the Manitoba Liberal Association, acting as the vice-president. He also served in many capacities on the federal liberal party's executive in Winnipeg South Centre
Winnipeg South Centre
Winnipeg South Centre is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1979 and since 1988.-Geography:...
.
Political career
Roger was first elected to the Manitoba Legislature in the 1953 provincial electionManitoba general election, 1953
Manitoba's general election of June 8, 1953 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. This was the first election held in Manitoba after the breakup of a ten-year coalition government led by the Liberal-Progressives and Progressive Conservatives...
, finishing atop the polls in the constituency of St. Boniface, which in those days elected two members via a single transferable ballot. For the next five years, Roger sat as a backbencher in Premier Douglas Lloyd Campbell's government.
Manitoba abandoned its multi-member constituencies in 1956, and Roger was re-elected for the now single-member seat of St. Boniface in the 1958 provincial election
Manitoba 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...
. The Liberal-Progressives
Liberal-Progressive
Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1926 and 1953. In federal and Ontario politics, there was no formal Liberal-Progressive party, but it was an alliance between two separate parties...
were defeated in this election, and Roger did not seek re-election in 1959.
Roger ran for a seat in the House of Commons in the federal election of 1962
Canadian federal election, 1962
The Canadian federal election of 1962 was held on June 18, 1962 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 25th Parliament of Canada...
, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative Laurier Regnier
Laurier Régnier
Laurier Arthur Régnier was a Progressive Conservative party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was born in Saint-François-Xavier, Manitoba and became a barrister and farmer by career....
by 2,601 votes in the federal riding of St. Boniface. He defeated Regnier again in the 1963 election
Canadian federal election, 1963
The Canadian federal election of 1963 was held on April 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 26th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.-Overview:During the Tories' last year in...
, when the Liberals 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...
under Lester B. Pearson
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
.
On April 22, 1963, Roger was appointed Minister of Veterans Affairs
Minister of Veterans Affairs (Canada)
The Minister of Veterans Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet whose position was created in 1944. The Department of Veterans Affairs Canada was split from the Department of Pensions and National Health and was given the responsibility of administering benefits and pensions...
by Prime Minister Pearson
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
.
As Minister of Veterans Affairs, Roger was involved in some controversial projects. The Royal Canadian Legion
Royal Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
was vehemently opposed to any new flag for Canada and Roger was required to be a mediary. He sat on the New Flag Committee as an ex officio member. He was also involved in the revamping of Canada's veterans' hospitals. In both 1964 and 1966, he represented Canada at war commemorative ceremonies at war cemeteries in Europe. At this time, he toured Canada's war graves. He was dismayed at the condition of the monument at Vimy Ridge. He brought his concern forward but work did not begin on the monument until 1984. Still, it was through Roger's effort that the monument was eventually restored.
Roger saw to it that Vimy Ridge was properly recognized at Vimy Park in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, and established a memorial in Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
dedicated to Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy, which replaced the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve .-Foundation:...
members who died in the 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...
. As a Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
, Roger brought forward the concerns of the Métis in parliament, particularly as they involved the cause that Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
had died for.
Roger was re-elected over Progressive Conservative candidate Harry DeLeeuw in 1965 but, in 1968, he unexpectedly lost the Liberal nomination for St. Boniface to Joseph-Philippe Guay. Choosing not to run in another riding, Roger formally resigned from Cabinet on July 5, 1968.
Roger was then appointed to head the Canada Pension Commission by Prime Minister Trudeau. While still in Cabinet, Roger had been working with this Commission with a view to reforming veterans' pensions. He served on this Commission until his retirement in 1980.
Roger Teillet was married to Jeanne Boux of St. Boniface, Manitoba. They had two sons and there are two grandchildren. Jeanne predeceased him by two years, and their younger son, Richard, died of cancer in 2003. All three are buried in Green Acres Cemetery in St. Boniface. Their eldest son, Philippe Teillet, is a professor at the University of Lethbridge
University of Lethbridge
The University of Lethbridge is a publicly-funded comprehensive academic and research university, founded in the liberal education tradition, located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with two other urban campuses in Calgary and Edmonton. The main building sits among the coulees on the west side of...
.