René Matte

Infobox_Politician


imagesize = 150px
name = René Matte
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birth_date = February 11, 1935
birth_place = Saint-Casimir, Quebec
death_date =
office = MP for Champlain
term_start = 1968
term_end = 1979
predecessor = Jean-Paul Matte
successor = Michel Veillette
party = Ralliement Créditiste
religion =
occupation = professor

René Matte (born February 11, 1935 in Saint-Casimir, Quebec) was a Canadian politician and a Member of the House of Commons. [ [http://www2.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item={F4C6BC18-E0F0-4440-A03D-BD72C0D833A1}&Language=E René Matte, ParlInfo, Canadian Parliament] ]

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 [ "Montreal Gazette", 8 November 1976, p.1, "Fortin takes helm of Social Credit"] 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. [cite news
last =Simpson
first =Jeffrey
coauthors =
title =Gauthier named interim Socred leader as Caouette quits post, Matte leaves party
work =Globe and Mail
pages =
language =
publisher =
date =April 12, 1978
url =
accessdate = ]

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