# Francis Dufour

Francis Dufour (March 28, 1929 – May 25, 2020) was a Canadian Quebec politician. He served as the member for Jonquière in the National Assembly of Quebec as a member of the Parti Québécois from 1985 until 1996, when he relinquished his seat to allow Lucien Bouchard, the Premier of Quebec, a seat in the assembly.

## Biography

Dufour was a clerk at the Arvida Municipal Treasury in 1947. He worked for Alcan from 1948 to 1975, and served as the director of its employees' union from 1955 to 1963.

## Political career

Dufour was elected a councillor of Arvida from 1960 until 1964. He was elected mayor in 1967 and served in that position until 1975.
During that time Dufour ran in the 1973 Quebec election for the Parti Québécois in Jonquière and lost to incumbent Gérald Harvey.
When Arvida was amalgamated into Jonquière, he ran for and was elected to the position of its mayor. Dufour served as President of the Union of Quebec Municipalities from 1982 until 1984.
Dufour ran again for Jonquière in 1985 and won. He was re-elected in 1989 and 1994.
He served primarily as a backbencher during his time in the legislature. He resigned on January 15, 1996 to let Lucien Bouchard, Premier of Quebec have a seat in the legislature.

## Electoral record
### Provincial

1994 Quebec general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Parti Québécois | Francis Dufour | 22,598 | 69.64 |
| | Liberal | Stéphane Dallaire | 8,703 | 26.74 |
| | Natural Law | Sylvie Francoeur | 1,248 | 3.83 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 32,549 | 97.01 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 1,002 | 2.99 |
| 33,551 | 33,551 | 33,551 | 80.03 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 41,921 | – |
1989 Quebec general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Parti Québécois | Francis Dufour | 17,294 | 56.05 |
| | Liberal | Aline St-Amand | 11,789 | 38.21 |
| | New Democratic | Maurice Bilodeau | 1,774 | 5.75 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 30,857 | 97.63 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 750 | 2.37 |
| 31,607 | 31,607 | 31,607 | 76.16 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 41,502 | – |
1985 Quebec general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Parti Québécois | Francis Dufour | 17,741 | 52.51 |
| | Liberal | Aline St-Amand | 14,130 | 41.82 |
| | New Democratic | Maurice Bilodeau | 1,784 | 5.28 |
| | Christian Socialist | Jean-Pierre Rannou | 132 | 0.39 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 33,787 | 98.70 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 444 | 1.30 |
| 34,231 | 34,231 | 34,231 | 79.86 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 42,864 | – |
1973 Quebec general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Gérald Harvey | 16,985 | 53.71 |
| | Parti Québécois | Francis Dufour | 12,850 | 40.63 |
| | Union Nationale | Lucien Audet | 897 | 2.84 |
| | Parti créditiste | Albert Bouchard | 892 | 2.82 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 31,624 | 98.42 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 507 | 1.58 |
| 32,131 | 32,131 | 32,131 | 84.30 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 38,117 | – |