Éphrem-A. Brisebois (March 7, 1850 – February 13, 1890) was a Canadian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, soldier, and

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with the

North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian paramilitary police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory to ...

(NWMP) of

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Early life

Brisebois was born 7 March 1850 at South Durham,

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, now Durham-Sud. He was fluently bilingual in English and French. At 15, he dropped out of school to fight for the Union Army in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and went on to spend a further three years serving in

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with the volunteer unit " Devils of the Good Lord". Upon his return to Canada he worked on the first

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Career

In 1873, Brisebois was chosen by John A. Macdonald, because of his military experience (and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politics), to be one of nine commanding officers with the new NWMP. He distinguished himself as a trainer, and showed remarkable foresight by attempting to enforce strict restrictions on buffalo hunting (over-hunting, among other reasons, led to a massive decline in the buffalo population). However, he was criticized for an inability to maintain discipline among his men, and his decision to take a common-law

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

wife. As his division's insubordination reached near-mutiny proportions, he clashed more and more with his direct superior James Farquharson Macleod. On Macleod's suggestion, Fort Brisebois was renamed to Fort Calgary (now

Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...

) in June 1876, and Brisebois resigned in August. Brisebois traveled 1200 kilometres to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. Eventually, he returned to

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, and helped a Conservative candidate, Désiré-Olivier Bourbeau defeat a Liberal cabinet minister named

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and Liberal politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadians, French ...

(the future

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). In 1880, he was made the registrar of land titles, and assigned to

Minnedosa, Manitoba Minnedosa is a town in the southwestern part of the Canadian province of Manitoba situated 50 kilometres (32 mi) north of Brandon, Manitoba on the Little Saskatchewan River. The town's name means "flowing water" in the Dakota language. The p ...

Personal life

Brisebois and his wife Adelle (whom he had legally married sometime after resigning from the NWMP) led an active social life, founding a snowshoe club and holding

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church services in their home. During the

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Government of Canada, Canadian government. Important events i ...

of 1885, he helped mobilize militia units and later joined the 65th Battalion, Mount Royal Rifles. He died of a heart attack in

in 1890, and was buried in St. Boniface, Manitoba.

External links

*
RCMP Biography of Brisebois

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brisebois, Ephrem-A. Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers Pre-Confederation Quebec people 1850 births 1890 deaths Canadian expatriates in the United States Canadian expatriates in Italy Canadian Militia officers Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal officers