François-Joseph Laflèche (; 4 October 1879 – 2 June 1945) was a

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 ...

member of the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

. He was born in Saint-Wenceslas, Quebec and became a physician, surgeon and pharmacist. Laflèche was educated at the Nicolet Seminary, then at school in Trois-Rivières. He earned his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree at the Séminaire de Sherbrooke. He was also licensed for medical practice in the American state of

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. He was elected to Parliament at the Richmond—Wolfe riding in the 1930 general election. After serving his only term, the 17th Canadian Parliament, Laflèche was defeated by James Patrick Mullins of the Liberals in the 1935 federal election. In 1934, Laflèche proposed a motion to legally require Canadian voters to cast a ballot at federal elections at a time when Australia and South Africa had already enacted

compulsory voting Compulsory voting, also called universal civic duty voting or mandatory voting, is the requirement that registered voters participate in an election. As of January 2023, 21 countries have compulsory voting laws. Law enforcement in those countries ...

laws. Report on F. J. Lafleche motion, set to be introduced to the House of Commons.

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* 1879 births 1945 deaths Physicians from Quebec Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Université de Sherbrooke alumni 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada {{Conservative18671942-Quebec-MP-stub