He was born Joseph-Rémi Vallières in Carleton in 1787, the son of a blacksmith, and moved to Windham Township in Upper Canada with his family in 1799. After the death of his father, he moved to Quebec City, where he was tutored by Monsignor Joseph-Octave Plessis, and then studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec. He studied law with Charles Thomas and then with Edward Bowen and qualified to practice in 1812.
Joseph-Rémi Vallières was born in Carleton in 1787 to a blacksmith father. In 1799, he moved with his family to Windham Township in Upper Canada. Following the loss of his father, he settled in Quebec City and received educational support from Monsignor Joseph-Octave Plessis before attending law school at the Petit Séminaire de Québec under Charles Thomas and Edward Bowen, ultimately becoming a licensed attorney in 1812.