René Matte
| René Matte | |
|---|---|
| MP for Champlain | |
|
In office 1968–1979 | |
| Preceded by | Jean-Paul Matte |
| Succeeded by | Michel Veillette |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 11, 1935 Saint-Casimir, Quebec |
| Political party | Ralliement Créditiste |
| Occupation | professor |
René Matte (born February 11, 1935 in Saint-Casimir, Quebec) was a Canadian politician and a Member of the House of Commons.[1]
Political career
Matte ran as a Ralliement Créditiste candidate in the federal district of Champlain in the 1968 election and won. His party rejoined the national Social Credit Party of Canada in 1971. He was re-elected in the 1972 and 1974 elections.
He ran for the leadership of the Social Credit Party in 1976 advocating that Canada be divided into five sovereign regions in a loose confederation[2] He placed second to federalist André-Gilles Fortin after several Social Credit MPs threatened to leave the party if Matte won. Matte ran for the leadership again in 1978 but abruptly resigned from the party to sit as an independent when its national executive decided to hold the leadership convention in Winnipeg. Interim leader Charles-Arthur Gauthier stated that Matte was expelled after refusing to follow party discipline for 18 months.[3]
He ran as an independent candidate in the 1979 federal election and was defeated by Liberal candidate Michel Veillette. Matte ran again in 1980 as a New Democratic Party candidate, but finished second.
Footnotes
- ↑ René Matte, ParlInfo, Canadian Parliament
- ↑ Montreal Gazette, 8 November 1976, p.1, "Fortin takes helm of Social Credit"
- ↑ Simpson, Jeffrey (April 12, 1978). "Gauthier named interim Socred leader as Caouette quits post, Matte leaves party". Globe and Mail.