Albert Sévigny

The Hon. Albert Sévigny
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Dorchester
In office 1911–1917
Preceded by	Joseph Alfred Ernest Roy
Succeeded by	Lucien Cannon
Personal details
Born	(1881-12-31)December 31, 1881 Tingwick, Quebec
Died	May 14, 1961(1961-05-14) (aged 79)
Political party	Conservative

Albert Sévigny, PC (December 31, 1881 – May 14, 1961) was a Canadian politician.

Life and career

Sévigny was born in Tingwick, Quebec. He opened a law practice in Quebec City in 1905. Two years later, he was a candidate for the Quebec Conservative Party in a provincial by-election, but was defeated. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1911 federal election. His election was facilitated by an informal alliance between the Conservatives and the Nationalists led by Henri Bourassa because of Sevigny's sympathy with Bourassa's views.

In Parliament, Sevigny became a supporter of Canadian participation in World War I despite the strong opposition of most Quebecers, and became a staunch Conservative. He was appointed Deputy Speaker in 1915, and in 1916, he became Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons.

Prime Minister Robert Borden was facing an increasing divisive crisis over conscription with the country divided between English Canadians who supported the measure and French-Canadians who fervently opposed it. In early 1917, Borden asked Sevigny to leave the Speaker's chair and join the Cabinet to help the government persuade Quebecers of the government's case.

Sévigny was appointed Minister of Inland Revenue, and was required by the laws of the time to resign his seat and run in a by-election. He was re-elected by a margin of only 257 votes.

In June, Borden introduced conscription and, of the French Canadian Members of Parliament, only three voted for the conscription bill, including Sévigny.

Borden formed a Union government with dissident Liberals and called a general election in 1917 on the conscription issue. The country divided largely along linguistic lines: the Conservative candidates were wiped out in Quebec in a rout that cost Sévigny his seat. Borden's coalition dominated the election in English Canada, however, and he was returned with a strong majority.

In 1921, the Conservative government appointed Sévigny to the Quebec Superior Court on which he served for 39 years, becoming Associate Chief Justice in 1933 and Chief Justice in 1942.

External links

• Albert Sévigny – Parliament of Canada biography

Speakers of the Canadian House of Commons Cockburn Anglin Blanchet Kirkpatrick Ouimet White Edgar Bain Brodeur Belcourt Sutherland Marcil Sproule Sévigny Rhodes Lemieux Black Bowman Casgrain Glen Fauteux Macdonald Beaudoin Michener Lambert Macnaughton Lamoureux Jerome Sauvé Francis Bosley Fraser Parent Milliken Scheer

Ministers of Inland Revenue Ministers of Inland Revenue (1867–1892) Howland Campbell (acting) Morris Tupper O'Connor Gibbs Fournier Geoffrion Laflamme Cauchon Laurier Baby Aikins Costigan Controllers of Inland Revenue (1892–1897) Wood Prior de Lotbinière Ministers of Inland Revenue (1897–1918) de Lotbinière Bernier Brodeur Templeman Nantel Blondin Patenaude Sévigny Sifton† †The offices of Minister of Customs and Minister of Inland Revenue were amalgamated by Order in Council dated May 18, 1918.

Secretaries of State of Canada Langevin Aikins Christie Scott Aikins O'Connor Mousseau Chapleau Patterson Costigan Dickey Montague Ouimet (acting) Daly (acting) Tupper Scott Murphy Roche Coderre Blondin Patenaude Sévigny (acting) Meighen Burrell Sifton Drayton (acting) Monty Copp Foster Murphy (acting) Lapointe Perley Rinfret Cahan Rinfret Lapointe Casgrain McLarty Martin Gibson Bradley Pickersgill Pinard Fairclough Courtemanche Balcer Dorion Balcer Halpenny Pickersgill Lamontagne LaMarsh Connolly Marchand Pelletier Faulkner Roberts MacDonald Fox Regan Joyal McLean B. Bouchard Crombie L. Bouchard Weiner de Cotret Landry1 1The department was eliminated in 1993 when the government was reorganized. The position of Secretary of State for Canada was not legally eliminated until 1996 when its remaining responsibilities were assigned to other cabinet positions and departments, particularly the newly created position of Minister of Canadian Heritage.