Maurice Bellemare

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Maurice Bellemare, O.C. (8 June 1912 – 15 June 1989) was a Quebec politician.

Born in Grand-Mère, Quebec, he was first elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the riding of Champlain in 1944. A member of the Union nationale he was re-elected in 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1962, and 1966. From 1948 to 1953, he was the deputy Whip and from 1953 to 1959 the Whip. In 1959, he was made a Minister without Portfolio in the cabinet of Paul Sauvé and in 1960 in the cabinet of Antonio Barrette. From 1966 to 1969, he was the Governmental Party Leader. From 1966 to 1967, he was the Minister of Industry and Commerce in the cabinet of Johnson. From 1966 to 1970, he was the Minister of Labour in the cabinets of Daniel Johnson, Sr and Jean-Jacques Bertrand. He did not run in the 1970 elections. From 1970 to 1972, he was the president of the Commission des accidents du travail.

He returned to politics in 1974, when he was elected in a by-election. He was re-elected in 1976. From 1974 to 1976, he was the interim leader of the Union nationale and was the Parliamentary Leader from 1976 to 1979. He was defeated in 1979.

He was also the mayor of Saint-Jean-des-Piles from 1954 to 1957 and from 1968 to 1970. He was a municipal counsellor from 1981 to 1983.

In 1983, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition for being "a politician who always cared about the welfare of working people and served his province and country with enthusiasm, determination and skill".^[1]