François-Joseph Laflèche (4 October 1879 – 2 June 1945) was a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was born in Saint-Wenceslas, Quebec and became a physician, surgeon and pharmacist. Laflèche was educated at the Nicolet Seminary, then at school in Trois-Rivières. He earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree at the

Université de Sherbrooke The University of Sherbrooke (French: Université de Sherbrooke) (UdS) is a large public French-language university in Quebec, Canada with campuses located in Sherbrooke and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It i ...

. He was also licensed for medical practice in the American state of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. He was elected to Parliament at the Richmond—Wolfe riding in the 1930 general election. After serving his only term, the 17th Canadian Parliament, Laflèche was defeated by James Patrick Mullins of the Liberals in the 1935 federal election. In 1934, Laflèche proposed a motion to legally require Canadian voters to cast a ballot at federal elections at a time when Australia and South Africa had already enacted

compulsory voting Compulsory voting, also called mandatory voting, is the requirement in some countries that eligible citizens register and vote in elections. Penalties might be imposed on those who fail to do so without a valid reason. According to the CIA World ...

laws. Report on F. J. Lafleche motion, set to be introduced to the House of Commons.

References

External links

* 1879 births 1945 deaths Physicians from Quebec Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Université de Sherbrooke alumni {{Conservative18671942-Quebec-MP-stub