Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché (5 September 1795 – 30 July 1865) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

doctor, politician, and

Father of Confederation The Fathers of Confederation are the 36 people who attended at least one of the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 (23 attendees), the Quebec Conference of 1864 (33 attendees), and the London Conference of 1866 (16 attendees), preceding Canadian ...

Life

Born in St. Thomas, Lower Canada, in 1795, the third son of Charles Taché and Geneviève Michon, Taché studied at the

Séminaire de Québec The Seminary of Quebec (French: Séminaire de Québec) is a Catholic community of diocesan priests in Quebec City founded by Bishop François de Laval, the first bishop of New France in 1663. History The Séminaire de Québec is a Society of d ...

until the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

when he joined the 5th Battalion of the Select Embodied Militia of the Canadian Militia as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

. He was later promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

and fought in the Chasseurs Canadiens. During the war, he started studying to become a doctor and continued his studies in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

after the war. He obtained his medical licence in 1819 and practised medicine in Montmagny. Taché was a

Patriote The patriotes movement was a political movement that existed in Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) from the turn of the 19th century to the Patriote Rebellion of 1837 and 1838 and the subsequent Act of Union of 1840. The partisan embodiment of ...

, although as a moderate he did not support armed rebellion. His house was searched in January 1839, after the Patriote Rebellion, although it proved to be fruitless and he escaped arrest. Abandoning medicine, Taché was elected to the new

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper C ...

in 1841 as a member from L'Islet,

Canada East Canada East (french: links=no, Canada-Est) was the northeastern portion of the United Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new ...

and held numerous posts in successive administrations, including, for a time,

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

(1856–1857, 1864–1865) as well as

Minister of Militia and Defence The Minister of Militia and Defence was the federal government minister in charge of the volunteer army units in Canada, the Canadian Militia. From 1855 to 1906, the minister was responsible for Canadian militia units only, as the British Army wa ...

for the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British North America, British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham ...

(1855 to 1860). Taché actively participated in the debate on the potential creation of a Canadian confederation, defended proposals for the new form of government in part because it would serve to reaffirm Canada's link to the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. At the Confederation Debates, he stated that "Confederation was imperative if Canadians 'desired to remain British and monarchical, and ... desired to pass our children these advantages. These ideas reflected the ideas of the conservative

Parti bleu The Blue Party (french: Parti bleu) was a political group that contested elections in the Eastern section of the Province of Canada. The Blue Party was ideologically located on the political right, and was defined by its support for the Catholi ...

(with which Taché was associated). An avid supporter of the British Crown, Taché expressed ideas of loyalty even before the debates of regarding the creation of Canada's confederation: "in 1848, he delivered his famous idea of French-Canadian loyalty to the British crown: ... 'we will never forget our allegiance till the last cannon which is shot on this continent in defence of Great Britain is fired by the hand of a French-Canadian. This can certainly explain why Taché worked with future Prime Minister

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

and other significant characters who were Fathers of the Confederation and who shared similar views. Therefore, these alliances led to the

Great Coalition The Great Coalition was a grand coalition of political parties that brought an end to political deadlock in the Province of Canada. It existed from May 1864 until Confederation in 1867. Prelude Four different ministries had failed in the pre ...

of 1864 – 'a government led by Cartier, Brown and Macdonald under the premiership of a bleu elder statesman, Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché' - responsible for the

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...

. For this matter, Taché presided of over the

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

conference of 1864. Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché's loyalty was even officially recognized as an " aide-de-camp to Queen_Victoria_.html" ;"title="Queen_Victoria.html" ;"title="Queen Victoria">Queen Victoria ">Queen_Victoria.html" ;"title="Queen Victoria">Queen Victoria [and] held the honorary rank of a Colonel in the army". Furthermore, he left an important legacy, not only regarding the formation of Canada, but also to the province of Quebec's heritage: "Taché is widely credited with coining the provincial motto of Quebec, later adopted by the French-speaking

Royal 22nd Regiment , colors = Scarlet with blue facings (full dress and mess dress) , march = Quick: ''Vive la Canadienne''Slow: ''Marche lente du Royal 22e Régiment: La Prière en famille'' , mascot ...

.. ('I remember')." Taché died at age 69 in Montmagny, and is buried there at St. Odilon Cemetery, where a marker from the national Historic Sites and Monuments Board marks his grave. A monument to him stands at 141 Taché Boulevard East in Montmagny. He was designated a National Historic Person in 1937, and his home in

Montmagny, Quebec Montmagny () is a city in the Montmagny Regional County Municipality within the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec. It is the county seat and had a population, as of the Canada 2011 Census, of 11,491. The city is on the south shore of the Sain ...

, was designated a National Historic Site in 1990.

Family

On 18 July 1820, Taché married Sophie Baucher of Beaumont in Quebec City; they had 15 children.

Honours

Taché was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1858 and appointed to the

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

in 1862.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tache, Etienne-Paschal 1795 births 1865 deaths Physicians from Quebec Canadian people of the War of 1812 Fathers of Confederation Canadian Knights Bachelor Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada East Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada Premiers of the Province of Canada Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)