Léo Cadieux

The Hon. Léo Cadieux
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Terrebonne
In office 1962–1968
Preceded by	Marcel Deschambault
Succeeded by	Joseph-Roland Comtois
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Labelle
In office 1968–1970
Preceded by	Gaston Clermont
Succeeded by	Maurice Dupras
Personal details
Born	Joseph Alphonse Léo Cadieux May 28, 1908 Saint-Jérôme, Quebec
Died	May 11, 2005 (aged 96) Ottawa, Ontario
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Monique Cadieux
Residence	Ottawa
Religion	Roman Catholic

Joseph Alphonse Léo Cadieux, PC OC (May 28, 1908 – May 11, 2005) was a Canadian politician.

A newspaper journalist and publisher who was born in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, Cadieux was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Quebec, Quebec in the 1962 election.

In 1965, he was appointed to the Cabinet by Prime Minister Lester Pearson as Associate Minister of National Defence. In 1967, he was promoted to Minister of National Defence (and the first Francophone to hold the post), and remained in that position under Pearson and then Pierre Trudeau until he retired from politics in 1970.

On his retirement from Parliament, he was appointed Canada's Ambassador to France. He remained Canada's envoy until 1975.

During Cadieux's tenure as Defence Minister, Canada cut its troop commitment to Europe from 10,000 to 5,000 troops and ended Canada's commitment to send re-enforcements to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Central Front following a review of Canadian defence priorities. In Cabinet debates on Canada's attitude towards nuclear deterrence, Cadieux argued in support of the doctrine. He also oversaw the reorganization of the Canadian Emergency Measures Organization, Canada's civil defence agency.

In 1974, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

External links

• Léo Cadieux – Parliament of Canada biography
• Order of Canada Citation
• Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Complete List of Posts