Morin, Augustin-Norbert (1803-1865), was co- premier of the Province of Canada , a British colony in North America , from 1851 to 1855. In Canada, the title premier means head of government. Morin belonged to the Reform Party, a moderate alliance of English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians that later became the Liberal Party. He served as a colonial legislator, government minister, and judge. Morin played a major role in the politics of the area that became the province of Quebec in northeastern Canada. He also encouraged settlement of what became the towns of Val-Morin, Sainte-Adèle, and Morin Heights.
Morin was born on Oct. 13, 1803, in Saint-Michel, near Quebec City, Quebec. He studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec from 1815 to 1822. After graduating, Morin worked as a journalist before joining the Bar of Lower Canada in 1828 and practicing law. A bar is a group of lawyers permitted to practice law in a certain place. Lower Canada was a British colony in what is now southern Quebec. In 1841, Lower Canada and Upper Canada (now part of Ontario) were united to form the Province of Canada.
Morin’s political career began in 1830, when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly, the colonial legislature of Lower Canada. Morin helped draft the Ninety-Two Resolutions, a list of reforms that would increase Lower Canada’s autonomy (self-government). Morin also was one of the leaders of a rebellion against British control of Lower Canada in 1837. For his part in the rebellion, Morin was arrested and imprisoned in 1839 on the charge of high treason. He was released after several days. Morin then served as a colonial legislator until the mid-1850’s, except during a brief period in 1842 when he served as a judge. During his time as a legislator, he served in a number of government ministries and as speaker of the Assembly. Morin served as co-premier of the Province of Canada with Sir Francis Hincks from 1851 to 1854, and with Allan MacNab in 1854 and 1855.
Morin resigned as co-premier in 1855. From 1855 to 1859, he was a judge of the Superior Court of the Province of Canada. Morin then served on a commission that assembled a civil code of law based on the civil laws of Lower Canada. This code later became part of the legal system of Quebec. During his career, Morin also served as commissioner of Crown lands in the Province of Canada, and as dean of the faculty of law at Laval University. He died on July 27, 1865.
