APeriod of Transition 131 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Joseph-Octave Arsenault, politician. 
     
     Musée Acadien. 
     
    
   
   
    
     held until 1874 when he was elected to the House of Commons in 
     
     Ottawa. He was the first Acadian Member of Parliament in the country. 
     
     He joined the Liberal Party which was in power at the federal level. 
     
     He lost his seat in the elections of 1878 when the Liberal government 
     
     was defeated. As a result, he returned to provincial politics and was 
     
     re-elected in 1879, still as a Liberal. At this time the religious distinction 
     
     between Conservatives and Liberals was no longer as blatant. In 1887, 
     
     the politician from Tignish resigned from the provincial Legislature 
     
     and was re-elected to the House of Commons. 
     
    

    
     Stanislas F. Perry’s political career had its difficult moments. Early 
     
     on he was poorly treated by the leaders in the party, who prevented 
     
     him from running for election in 1863 so that an Anglophone could 
     
     be elected. However, in the next elections (1867) he did stand as a