The Tanneries scandal was a scandal implicating the government of the

Province of Quebec Quebec is Canada's 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, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

, which led to the resignation of

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

premier, Gédéon Ouimet, in September 1874. Saint-Henri Montreal 1861

On July 16, 1874, the '' Montreal Herald'' announced that the provincial government had exchanged land at Les Tanneries (now the

Saint-Henri Saint-Henri () is a neighbourhood in southwestern Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the Montreal borough, borough of Le Sud-Ouest. Saint-Henri is bounded to the east by Atwater Avenue, to the west by the town of Montreal West, Quebec, Montreal West, ...

district of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

) worth over $200,000 for a farm on the Coteau Saint-Pierre of west Montreal valued at less than $40,000. An organizer for the Conservative party, Arthur Dansereau, was alleged to have received $65,000 in commissions in the deal. Louis Archambeault, the commissioner of public works, was also implicated in the affair. George Irvine,

John Jones Ross John Jones Ross (August 16, 1831 – May 4, 1901) was a Canadian politician. Ross served as the seventh premier of Quebec and later as a member of the Senate of Canada. Personal life Ross was born in Quebec City, Canada. He was the son of a Sco ...

and Joseph Gibb Robertson, the three English-speaking members of the cabinet, resigned and Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville replaced Ouimet as premier. Ouimet was reelected to his seat in the assembly in the general election that followed in 1875. Despite the outrage of the public over the affair, the provincial Conservatives were able to retain power, mainly because of the continuing support of the party by the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

clergy of the province. Later that year, judge Francis Godschall Johnson found no evidence of fraud or conspiracy. The commission investigating the affair did not comment on the guilt or innocence of any cabinet member but did recommend that the

land exchange A land exchange or land swap is the ''voluntary'' exchange of land between two parties, typically a private owner and a government. These parties may include farmers, estate owners, developers, nature organizations, and governments. Land swaps may a ...

which had triggered the scandal be cancelled. Although the scandal did not result in a change of the ruling party in the province, it did solidify the affiliation between the Catholic Church and the provincial Conservatives.

References

* {{cite DCB , first1=Michèle , last1=Brassard , first2=Jean , last2=Hamelin , title=Ouimet, Gédéon , volume=13 , url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/ouimet_gedeon_13E.html
History of the Liberal Party of Quebec in the 19th Century
Political history of Quebec Political scandals in Canada 1874 in Canada 19th-century scandals 1874 in Quebec Quebec political scandals