Henri Courtemanche

Who was Henri Courtemanche?

Henri Courtemanche, PC was a Canadian parliamentarian.

Born in Mont-Laurier, Quebec, the son of Victor Courtemanche and Louise Massé, he was educated at the Académie de Mont-Laurier, the Séminaire de St. Joseph de Mont-Laurier, the Collège Saint-Laurent and the Université de Montréal. Courtemanche was called to the Quebec bar in 1947 and practised law in Mont-Laurier and Montreal. In 1945, he married Gisèle Paquette, the daughter of Joseph-Henri-Albiny Paquette.

Courtemanche was first elected as the Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Labelle, Quebec in the 1949 federal election. He was defeated in 1953 but returned to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1957 federal election. He had announced that he would run in the election as a "Nationalist Independent" - and ran and was elected as an "Independent Progressive Conservative". However, the election brought the Progressive Conservatives to power under John Diefenbaker with a minority government and Courtemanche rejoined the party within weeks of its election victory and was appointed Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.