# Henri Bourassa

_Canadian politician (1868-1952)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/henri-bourassa
Last updated: 2026-11-06

> Joseph-Napoléon-Henri Bourassa was a French Canadian political leader and publisher. In 1899, Bourassa was outspoken against the British government's request for Canada to send a militia to fight for Britain in the Second Boer War. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier's compromise was to send a volunteer force, but the seeds were sown for future conscription protests during the World Wars of the next half-century. Bourassa unsuccessfully challenged the proposal to build warships to help protect the empire. He led the opposition to conscription during World War I and argued that Canada's interests were not at stake. He opposed Catholic bishops who defended military support of Britain and its allies. Bourassa was an ideological father of French-Canadian nationalism. Bourassa was also a defining force in forging French Canada's attitude to the Canadian Confederation of 1867.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 1 September 1868 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3130733#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Montreal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3130733#P19))
- **Died:** 31 August 1952 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3130733#P570))
- **Place of death:** Outremont ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3130733#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Canada ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3130733#P27))
- **Occupation:** journalist; politician; peace activist; newspaper proprietor; newspaper editor ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3130733#P106))
- **Political party:** Liberal Party of Canada; independent politician ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3130733#P102))
- **Positions held:** member of the House of Commons of Canada (28 July 1930 – 13 October 1935); member of the House of Commons of Canada (14 September 1926 – 27 July 1930); member of the House of Commons of Canada (29 October 1925 – 13 September 1926); member of the House of Commons of Canada (3 November 1904 – 29 October 1907); member of the House of Commons of Canada (7 November 1900 – 2 November 1904); member of the House of Commons of Canada (18 January 1900 – 6 November 1900); member of the House of Commons of Canada (23 June 1896 – 26 October 1899); Member of the National Assembly of Quebec (1896–1907); mayor (1896–1898); mayor (1890–1894) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3130733#P39))
- **Awards:** Person of National Historic Significance ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3130733#P166))

## Questions

**When was Henri Bourassa born?**  
Henri Bourassa was born on 1 September 1868 in Montreal.

**What positions has Henri Bourassa held?**  
Positions held by Henri Bourassa include: member of the House of Commons of Canada (1930–1935); member of the House of Commons of Canada (1926–1930); member of the House of Commons of Canada (1925–1926); member of the House of Commons of Canada (1904–1907); member of the House of Commons of Canada (1900–1904).

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Henri Bourassa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Bourassa) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q3130733](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3130733) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Henri bourassa.jpg by Unknown author Unknown author (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henri_bourassa.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Henri Bourassa, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Henri bourassa.jpg — Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Henri Bourassa". DigiNepal. Last updated 6 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/henri-bourassa. Retrieved 7 November 2026.