Tache, Sir Etienne-Paschal, << ta SHAY, ay TYEHN PAS kuhl >> (1795-1865), a Canadian statesman, twice served as prime minister of the Province of Canada. He also presided over the Quebec Conference of 1864, which paved the way for federation of the British North American colonies.
Tache was born on Sept. 5, 1795, in St.-Thomas, Lower Canada (part of present-day Quebec). In 1841, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada as a moderate reformer. He later served as commissioner of public works, speaker of the legislative council, and receiver-general. Tache worked hard to develop an alliance between French-Canadian moderates and English-Canadian Conservatives in the province.
In 1856 and again in 1864, Tache became a coleader of the province’s government with John A. Macdonald, a statesman from Upper Canada (part of present-day Ontario). The two were associate prime ministers. Macdonald dominated both ministries, but Tache had influence. Tache was knighted in 1858. He died on July 30, 1865.
