Gilles Rocheleau (28 August 1935 – 27 June 1998) was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1993. He co-founded the Bloc Québécois with Lucien Bouchard in 1990.

Gilles Rocheleau
MNA for Hull
In office
1981–1988
Preceded byJocelyne Ouellette
Succeeded byRobert LeSage
Member of Parliament for Hull—Aylmer
In office
1988–1993
Preceded byGaston Isabelle
Succeeded byMarcel Massé
Personal details
Born(1935-08-28)28 August 1935
Hull, Quebec, Canada
Died27 June 1998(1998-06-27) (aged 62)
Political partyQuebec Liberal Party
Liberal Party of CanadaBloc Québécois

Rocheleau was born in Hull, Quebec, he was a businessman by career. His post-secondary education was at the University of Ottawa. He became a city councillor in 1967, then mayor from 1974 to 1981.[1] He was elected as a member of the National Assembly of Quebec in 1981 in Hull as a member of the Liberal Party of Quebec. He was again elected to the Assembly in 1985 and became a cabinet minister in Premier Robert Bourassa's administration.

He left provincial politics to campaign in the 1988 federal election in the Hull—Aylmer electoral district for the national Liberal party. He served in the 34th Canadian Parliament until he left the party on 2 July 1990 following the implosion of the Meech Lake Accord. 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 did not play well in his strongly federalist riding, and he was roundly defeated by Liberal candidate Marcel Massé 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)

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1993 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Marcel Massé 27,988 53.26 +3.43
Bloc Québécois Gilles Rocheleau 14,293 27.20
Independent Tony Cannavino 4,583 8.72
Progressive Conservative Pierre Chénier 3,244 6.17 -25.70
New Democratic Francine Bourque 1,346 2.56 -12.83
Green George Halpern 468 0.89
Natural Law Robert Mayer 401 0.76
Marxist–Leninist Françoise Roy 162 0.31
Abolitionist Linda Dubois 63 0.12
Total valid votes 52,548 100.00
1988 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Gilles Rocheleau 23,218 49.83 +9.26
Progressive Conservative Nicole Moreault 14,849 31.87 -5.15
New Democratic Danielle Lapointe-Vienneau 7,170 15.39 -4.23
Rhinoceros Denis Le Citron Patenaude 661 1.42
Independent Glen Kealey 559 1.20
Independent Serge Lafortune 134 0.29
Total valid votes 46,591 100.00


1981 Quebec general election: Hull
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Gilles Rocheleau 15,572 49.76
Parti Québécois Jocelyne Ouellette 15,116 48.30
Union Nationale Joe McGovern 263 0.84
Workers Gilles Bourque 153 0.49
Independent Gilles Bégin 96 0.31
Communist Marc Bonhomme 59 0.19
Marxist–Leninist Pierre Soublière 35 0.11
Total valid votes 31,294 100.00
Rejected and declined votes 530
Turnout 31,824 80.19
Electors on the lists 39,686

References

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  1. ^ Normandin, Pierre G. (1989). Canadian Parliamentary Guide. InfoGlobe.
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