Francis Dufour facts for kids

Francis Dufour (born March 28, 1929 – died May 25, 2020) was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He was a member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the area of Jonquière. He belonged to the Parti Québécois political party. He served in this role from 1985 until 1996. He later gave up his seat to help another important politician, Lucien Bouchard, become a member of the assembly.

Biography

Early Life and Career

Francis Dufour was born on March 28, 1929. His birthplace was Kénogami, Quebec. In 1947, he worked as a clerk. This was at the Arvida Municipal Treasury.

From 1948 to 1975, he worked for a large company called Alcan. He also led the employees' union there. He was the director from 1955 to 1963.

Political Career

Starting in Local Politics

Francis Dufour began his political journey locally. He was elected as a councillor for Arvida in 1960. He served in this role until 1964.

Later, he became the mayor of Arvida in 1967. He held this position until 1975. During his time as mayor, he tried to become a provincial politician. He ran in the 1973 Quebec election for the Parti Québécois. However, he did not win that election.

Becoming a Provincial Politician

When Arvida joined with Jonquière, Francis Dufour ran for mayor of the new, larger Jonquière. He won and served as its mayor. From 1982 to 1984, he was also the President of the Union of Quebec Municipalities. This group represents cities and towns in Quebec.

Dufour ran for the provincial assembly again in 1985. This time, he won the election for Jonquière. He was re-elected two more times, in 1989 and 1994.

During his time in the National Assembly, he mostly served as a backbencher. This means he was a regular member of the party. On January 15, 1996, he decided to resign from his seat. He did this to allow Lucien Bouchard, who was the Premier of Quebec at the time, to become a member of the legislature.