He is descended from the first Houde ancestor, Louis Houde, who came from Manou, Eure-et-Loir, France to Quebec in 1647.
During the Second World War, the largest internment camp in eastern Canada was located in the hamlet of Ripples, 10 km west of the village; in addition to German POWs, its most notable prisoner was the anti-conscriptionist mayor of Montreal, Camillien Houde.
The most famous prisoner was Camillien Houde, mayor of Montreal at the time, who was interned for encouraging resistance to military conscription.