Gilles Caouette
Encyclopedia
Gilles Caouette was a Canadian
politician and Member of Parliament
.
Caouette was born in Rouyn
, Quebec
. His father, Réal Caouette
, was a prominent Social Credit politician, and leader of the Ralliement créditiste
and later the Social Credit Party of Canada
.
Gilles followed in his father’s footsteps, and ran unsuccessfully for election to the Canadian House of Commons
as a Ralliement créditiste or Social Credit candidate three times (1963, 1964 and 1965). He finally won election from Labelle riding
in the 1972 election
with a margin of 159 votes.
Gilles was defeated in the 1974 election
, and in a 1975 by-election in Hochelaga.
His father died in 1976, resulting in a by-election in the Témiscamingue riding that his father had held since 1962. Gilles won the May 24, 1977 by-election, and returned to the House of Commons. On June 24, 1977, Réal’s successor as Social Credit party leader, André-Gilles Fortin
, died at the age of 33. Gilles became acting party leader on June 29. He had intended to run at the party's leadership convention
but refused to run and resigned as interim leader when the party's executive council decided to hold the convention earlier rather than later and hold it in Winnipeg, Manitoba instead of Quebec where most party members (and all of its Members of Parliament) lived. He was replaced as interim leader by Charles-Arthur Gauthier
.
Caouette ran in the 1979 election
but lost his seat in the House of Commons.
Outside of politics, he worked as an administrator, draftsman, research director, and as a technician.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Caouette was born in Rouyn
Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
Rouyn-Noranda is a city on Osisko Lake in northwestern Quebec, Canada.The city of Rouyn-Noranda is coextensive with a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality and census division of Quebec of the same name...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. His father, Réal Caouette
Réal Caouette
David Réal Caouette was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He was a Member of Parliament and leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada and founder of the Ralliement des créditistes...
, was a prominent Social Credit politician, and leader of the Ralliement créditiste
Ralliement créditiste
Historically in Quebec, Canada, there was a number of political parties that were part of the Canadian social credit movement. There were various parties at different times with different names at the provincial level, all broadly following the social credit philosophy; at various times they had...
and later the Social Credit Party of Canada
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
.
Gilles followed in his father’s footsteps, and ran unsuccessfully for election to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as a Ralliement créditiste or Social Credit candidate three times (1963, 1964 and 1965). He finally won election from Labelle riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
in the 1972 election
Canadian federal election, 1972
The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 29th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in a slim victory for the governing Liberal Party, which won 109 seats, compared to 107 seats for the opposition Progressive...
with a margin of 159 votes.
Gilles was defeated in the 1974 election
Canadian federal election, 1974
The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term...
, and in a 1975 by-election in Hochelaga.
His father died in 1976, resulting in a by-election in the Témiscamingue riding that his father had held since 1962. Gilles won the May 24, 1977 by-election, and returned to the House of Commons. On June 24, 1977, Réal’s successor as Social Credit party leader, André-Gilles Fortin
André-Gilles Fortin
André-Gilles Fortin was a Canadian politician in the 1970s. Fortin was a member of the Canadian House of Commons for the Social Credit Party of Canada....
, died at the age of 33. Gilles became acting party leader on June 29. He had intended to run at the party's leadership convention
Social Credit Party of Canada leadership conventions
The Canadian social credit movement first contested the 1935 federal election in order to capitalize from the Alberta Social Credit League's surprise victory in Alberta's August 1935 provincial election...
but refused to run and resigned as interim leader when the party's executive council decided to hold the convention earlier rather than later and hold it in Winnipeg, Manitoba instead of Quebec where most party members (and all of its Members of Parliament) lived. He was replaced as interim leader by Charles-Arthur Gauthier
Charles-Arthur Gauthier
Charles-Arthur Gauthier was a long time Canadian Member of Parliament for the Social Credit Party and Ralliement Créditiste. Gauthier, an undertaker, was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons representing Roberval, Quebec in the 1962 election...
.
Caouette ran in the 1979 election
Canadian federal election, 1979
The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of Liberal Party of Canada after 11 years in power under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive...
but lost his seat in the House of Commons.
Outside of politics, he worked as an administrator, draftsman, research director, and as a technician.
| Date of election | Party | Riding Electoral district (Canada) An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based... |
Place | # of votes | % of popular vote |
| 8 April 1963 general election Canadian federal election, 1963 The Canadian federal election of 1963 was held on April 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 26th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.-Overview:During the Tories' last year in... |
Social Credit | Laurier | 2nd of 4 | 4,282 | 23.8% |
| 10 February 1964 by-election | Social Credit | Laurier | 2nd of 5 | 2,232 | 21.6% |
| 8 November 1965 general election Canadian federal election, 1965 The Canadian federal election of 1965 was held on November 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 27th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was re-elected with a larger number of seats in the House... |
Ralliement créditiste | Labelle | 2nd of 4 | 3,697 | 23.7% |
| 30 October 1972 general election Canadian federal election, 1972 The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 29th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in a slim victory for the governing Liberal Party, which won 109 seats, compared to 107 seats for the opposition Progressive... |
Social Credit | Charlevoix | elected (1st of 3) | 10,264 | 39.3% |
| 8 July 1974 general election Canadian federal election, 1974 The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term... |
Social Credit | Charlevoix | 2nd of 4 | 8,905 | 35.7% |
| 14 October 1974 by-election | Social Credit | Hochelaga | 3rd of 7 | 1,729 | 10.2% |
| 24 May 1977 by-election | Social Credit | Témiscamingue | elected (1st of 5) | 9,603 | 45.7% |
| 22 May 1979 general election Canadian federal election, 1979 The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of Liberal Party of Canada after 11 years in power under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive... |
Social Credit | Témiscamingue | 2nd of 7 | 15,295 | 39.1% |