Gilles Rocheleau (28 August 1935 – 27 June 1998) was a member of the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
from 1988 to 1993. He co-founded the
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois (BQ; , "Québécois people, Quebecer Voting bloc, Bloc") is a list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty movement, Que ...
with
Lucien Bouchard
Lucien Bouchard (; born December 22, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired politician.
Minister for two years in the Mulroney cabinet, Bouchard then led the emerging Bloc Québécois and became Leader of the Opposition in the House ...
in 1990.
Rocheleau was born in
Hull, Quebec
Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadia ...
, he was a businessman by career. His post-secondary education was at the
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
. He became a city councillor in 1967, then mayor from 1974 to 1981.
He was elected as a member of the
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec (officially in french: link=no, Assemblée nationale du Québec) is the legislative body of the province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; french: link=no, déput ...
in 1981 in
Hull as a member of the
Liberal Party of Quebec
The Quebec Liberal Party (QLP; french: Parti libéral du Québec, PLQ) is a provincial political party in Quebec. It has been independent of the federal Liberal Party of Canada since 1955. The QLP has always been associated with the colour red; e ...
. He was again elected to the Assembly in 1985 and became a cabinet minister in Premier
Robert Bourassa
Robert Bourassa (; July 14, 1933 – October 2, 1996) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd premier of Quebec from 1970 to 1976 and from 1985 to 1994. A member of the Liberal Party of Quebec, he served a total of just un ...
's administration.
He left provincial politics to campaign in the
1988 federal election in the
Hull—Aylmer
Hull—Aylmer (formerly known as Hull) is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1917.
It was created as "Hull" in 1914 from parts of Labelle and Wright ridings. It ...
electoral district for the national
Liberal party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
. He served in the
34th Canadian Parliament
The 34th Canadian Parliament was in session from December 12, 1988, until September 8, 1993. The membership was set by the 1988 federal election on November 21, 1988, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it wa ...
until he left the party on 2 July 1990 following the implosion of the
Meech Lake Accord
The Meech Lake Accord (french: Accord du lac Meech) was a series of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and all 10 Canadian provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the gove ...
. After several months as an independent, he became a charter member of the Bloc Québécois party on 20 December 1990.
However, Rocheleau's embrace of
Quebec sovereigntism
The Quebec sovereignty movement (french: Mouvement souverainiste du Québec) is a political movement whose objective is to achieve the sovereignty of Quebec, a province of Canada since 1867, including in all matters related to any provision of ...
did not play well in his strongly federalist riding, and he was roundly defeated by
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
candidate
Marcel Massé
Marcel Massé (born June 23, 1940) is a Canadian politician and civil servant.
Biography
Massé was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1940 and graduated from McGill University and Pembroke College, Oxford (as Rhodes Scholar in 1963). He served ...
in the
1993 federal election, losing almost half of his vote from 1988.
He was married twice: to Denise Gagné in 1956 and then later to Hélène Roy.
Rocheleau died in Hull at the age of 62.
Electoral record (partial)
References
External links
*
*
Hansard (House of Commons Debates) #128: The Late Gilles Rocheleau 29 September 1998.
1935 births
1998 deaths
Bloc Québécois MPs
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec
Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Mayors of Hull, Quebec
Quebec Liberal Party MNAs
University of Ottawa alumni
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