The Hon.
Léon Balcer
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Trois-Rivières
In office
1949–1965
Preceded byWilfrid Gariépy
Succeeded byJoseph-Alfred Mongrain
Personal details
Born(1917-10-13)October 13, 1917
Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
DiedMarch 22, 1991(1991-03-22) (aged 73)
Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada
Political partyProgressive Conservative (1949-1965)
Independent (1965)
CabinetSolicitor General of Canada (1957–1960)
Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys (Acting) (1957)
Secretary of State of Canada (Acting) (1960)
Minister of Transport (1960–1963)
Secretary of State of Canada (Acting) (1962)

Léon Balcer, PC (October 13, 1917 – March 22, 1991) was a Canadian politician.[1]

He was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec and was a lawyer by profession.

Member of the House of Commons

He was one of only three Progressive Conservative (or PC) candidates who were elected to the House of Commons in 1949 from Quebec, representing the district of Trois-Rivières. He was re-elected in the elections of 1953, 1957, 1958, 1962, and 1963. He sat with the Government of Canada from 1957 to 1963 and with Official Opposition from 1949 to 1957 and 1963 to 1965.

Balcer held numerous ministerial positions in the cabinet of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, including Solicitor General of Canada (1957–1960), and Minister of Transport (1960–1963). He also briefly acted as Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys (Acting), and Secretary of State of Canada (Acting).

During John Diefenbaker's leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party, Balcer was his Quebec lieutenant and Deputy Leader of the PC Party.[2]

A few months before the 1965 election, he left his party and sat as an independent, saying, "there is no place for a French Canadian in the party of Mr. Diefenbaker."[3] In 1964, he had led a small group of PC MPs who broke with Diefenbaker and supported a new flag of Canada during the flag debate championed by the Liberal prime minister, Lester B. Pearson. He did not run for re-election in that year.

Provincial politics

Balcer ran as a Liberal candidate in the district of Trois-Rivières in 1966, but lost to Union Nationale incumbent Yves Gabias.

Death

Balcer died on March 22, 1991.

Archives

There is a Léon Balcer fonds at Library and Archives Canada.[4]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Léon Balcer, ParlInfo, Parliament of Canada".
  2. ↑ "The Repatriation of Our Constitution, The Empire Club Addresses, October 22, 1964". Archived from the original on 18 September 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2007.
  3. ↑ "Social conservatism and the Conservative Party's electoral prospects, Le Blog de Polyscopique, September 12, 2005". Archived from the original on 13 December 2005.
  4. ↑ "Léon Balcer fonds, Library and Archives Canada". Retrieved 31 August 2020.
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