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Albert SvignyAlbert Svigny (December 31 1881 - May 14 1961) was a Canadian politician. Svigny opened a law practice in Quebec City in 1905. Two years later he was a candidate for the Quebec Conservative Party in a provincial by-election but was defeated. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1911 Canadian election due to an informal alliance between the Conservatives and the Nationalists led by Henri Bourassa and due to Sevigny's sympathy with Bourassa's views. In Parliament Sevigny became a supporter of Canadian participation in World War I despite the strong opposition of most Quebecers and became a staunch Conservative. He was appointed Deputy Speaker in 1915 and in 1916 he became Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons. Prime Minister Robert Borden was facing an increasing divisive crisis over conscription with the country divided between English Canadians who supported the measure and French-Canadians who fervently opposed it. In early 1917, Borden asked Sevigny to leave the Speaker's chair and join the Cabinet to help the government persuade Quebecers of the government's case. Svigny was appointed Minister of Inland Revenue and was required by the laws of the time to resign his seat and run in a by-election. He was re-elected by a margin of only 257 votes. In June, Borden introduced conscription and, of the French Canadian Members of Parliament only three voted for the conscription bill, including Svigny. Borden formed a Union government with dissident Liberals and called a general election on the conscription issue. The country divided largely along linguistic lines with Conservative candidates being wiped out in Quebec in a rout that cost Svigny his seat. Borden's coalition dominated the election in English Canada, however, and he was returned with a strong majority. In 1921, the Conservative government appinted Svigny to the Superior Court of Quebec on which he served for 39 years, becoming Associate Chief Justice in 1933 and Chief Justice in 1942. Svigny, Albert Svigny, Albert Svigny, Albert
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