Joseph-Henri-Albiny Paquette (October 7, 1888 – September 25, 1978) was a

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

. He was a cabinet minister for 17 years in

Maurice Duplessis Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis, (; April 20, 1890 – September 7, 1959) byname "Le Chef" (, "The Boss"), was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th premier of Quebec. A Conservatism in Canada, conservative, Quebec nationalism, ...

's Union Nationale government.

Biography

Born in

Marieville, Quebec Marieville () is a city in the Canadian province of Quebec. It is located within the Rouville Regional County Municipality in the Montérégie region about east of Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 11,332. History In 170 ...

, Paquette studied in medical sciences at the Montreal campus of Université Laval. After additional studies and training at

Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Paquette worked first for the

Canadian Red Cross The Canadian Red Cross Society ()Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and then in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

as a medical officer. He also served at several hospitals in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, including in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Paquette returned to Quebec in 1919 and practiced medicine in

Mont-Laurier Mont-Laurier () is a town and incorporated municipality in western Quebec, Canada, located on the banks of the Lièvre River (''Rivière du Lièvre''), a tributary of the Ottawa River. Known as the "Capital of the Haute-Laurentides", the motto o ...

until his entry into municipal politics and his nine-year stint as mayor of that city. Paquette was first elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Quebec A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...

for the district of

Labelle Labelle was an American funk rock band that originated out of the Blue Belles, a girl group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The original group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the area around ...

in the 1935 general election as a member of

Action libérale nationale The Action libérale nationale (; ALN; ) was a short-lived provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. It was founded during the Great Depression and led by Paul Gouin. The ALN played an important role in the foundation of the Union National ...

. He was reelected, as a member of the Union Nationale, in all six subsequent elections from 1936 to 1956. Paquette remained as the Legislative Assembly Member for Labelle until he resigned in 1958. In 1936, he was appointed as the first Minister of Health in the Duplessis Cabinet for the newly created provincial department of health. He served in the position from 1936 to 1939 and again from 1944 to 1958 when the Union Nationale regained power. Establishments made during his tenure as health minister included: *parish clinics for maternal and infant health *mobile

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

screening units *Dr. Armand Frappier's Institut de microbiologie et d'hygiène (today known as the Institut Armand-Frappier) at the Université de Montréal. In 1958, he was appointed to the

Legislative Council of Quebec The Legislative Council of Quebec (, ) was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canadian province of Quebec from 1867 to 1968. The Legislative Assembly was the elected lower house. The council was composed of 24 memb ...

for the division of Rougemont and resigned in 1967. In support of Catholicism, he placed

crucifixes A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

above the chairs of the speakers in the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. He received several honours, distinctions and medals, including honorary doctorates for

Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...

, and Bishop's College. Other rewards include: * 1919 - decorated by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

* 1920 - Military Medal of the

British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

* Honour Cross of the

French government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

* 1937 - a perpetual member of the Holy Land by the Catholic Church * 1938 a member of the Latin Order (1938) * 1946 - Jerusalem Cross * 1953 - Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal * 1967 - Medal of the

Canadian Centennial The Canadian Centennial was a yearlong celebration held in 1967 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Celebrations in Canada occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day, July 1. Commemorative coins were m ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paquette, Albiny 1888 births 1978 deaths Canadian Militia officers Canadian military personnel of World War I Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Physicians from Quebec Members of the Executive Council of Quebec Politicians from Montérégie Conservative Party of Quebec MNAs Union Nationale (Quebec) MLCs Union Nationale (Quebec) MNAs 20th-century mayors of places in Quebec Université Laval alumni 20th-century members of the National Assembly of Quebec