Rhéal Fortin

Rhéal Éloi Fortin MP (French: [ʁeal fɔʁtɛ̃]) is a Canadian lawyer and politician, who is the member of the House of Commons for Rivière-du-Nord.

Rhéal Fortin

MP
Spokesperson of Québec debout
Groupe parlementaire québécois (March — June)
In office
March 21, 2018 – September 17, 2018
Preceded byCaucus founded
Succeeded byCaucus dissolved
Leader of the Bloc Québécois
Interim
In office
October 22, 2015 – March 18, 2017
Preceded byGilles Duceppe
Succeeded byMartine Ouellet
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Rivière-du-Nord
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded byPierre Dionne Labelle
Personal details
Born
Rhéal Éloi Fortin

Laval-des-Rapides, Quebec, Canada
Political partyBloc Québécois
Other political
affiliations		Québec debout (2018)
ResidenceSaint-Sauveur-des-Monts, Quebec[1]
ProfessionLawyer

A lawyer by profession, he is the president of Bissonnette Fortin Giroux, a law firm in Saint-Jérôme. He studied law at University of Sherbrooke. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 election in Rivière-du-Nord as a member of the Bloc Québécois,[2]

Fortin was named interim leader of the Bloc Québécois on October 22, 2015 following the resignation of Gilles Duceppe as leader after Duceppe was unable to win his seat in the election.[3]

He served as interim leader of the party until the next leader, Martine Ouellet was named on March 18, 2017.

Fortin and six other Bloc MPs resigned from the Bloc's caucus to sit as an independent MP on February 28, 2018 citing conflicts with Ouellet's leadership.[4] Fortin then served as leader of the party formed by the dissidents, Québec debout.[5] He rejoined the Bloc Québécois caucus on September 17, 2018.[6]

Biography

Fortin was born in Laval-des-Rapides, Quebec. He started working when he was 18. He completed a CEGEP electrician's diploma, equivalent to junior college. He was a worker in a factory in Laval from 1977 to 1985, then left to attend university to study law. After completing his legal education, he began practising law in Saint-Jérôme in 1992.

Political career

He has been politically active ever since high school, when he volunteered to put up lawn signs for the Parti Québécois. He ran for the Parti Québécois nomination for the election for the National Assembly of Quebec for Prévost, but lost to Gilles Robert. In 2015 he ran for the Bloc Québécois in the riding Rivière-du-Nord and won. He became the interim leader of Bloc Québécois on October 22, 2015.[7] On December 7, 2016, he announced that he would not be seeking the permanent leadership of the party at its leadership election in 2017.

He served as the BQ's critic for intergovernmental affairs, human rights, justice, and access to information in the House of Commons until February 2018, when he and six other Bloc MPs quit the caucus and formed the Groupe parlementaire québécois in protest of Martine Ouellet's leadership style. Fortin was named the group's spokesperson on March 21, 2018.[8]

Electoral record
2019 Canadian federal election: Rivière-du-Nord
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
Bloc QuébécoisRhéal Fortin31,28152.0+20.0
LiberalFlorence Gagnon13,40222.3-4.1
ConservativeSylvie Fréchette7,12011.8+3.3
New DemocraticMyriam Ouellette4,1947.0-23.1
GreenJoey Leckman3,3455.6+3.1
People'sNormand Michaud4070.7–
Indépendence du QuébecNicolas Riqueur-Lainé2250.4–
IndependentLucie St-Gelais1270.2–
Total valid votes/Expense limit 60,101100.0
Total rejected ballots 1,206
Turnout 61,30764.0
Eligible voters 95,813
Source: Elections Canada[9][10]
2015 Canadian federal election: Rivière-du-Nord
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
Bloc QuébécoisRhéal Fortin18,15732.05+3.85–
New DemocraticPierre Dionne Labelle17,07730.14-24.98–
LiberalJanice Bélair Rolland14,93326.36+19.91–
ConservativeRomain Vignol4,7938.46+0.03–
GreenJoey Leckman1,4362.53+0.74–
RhinocerosFobozof A. Côté2610.46––
Total valid votes/Expense limit 56,657100.0 $229,198.01
Total rejected ballots 1,044––
Turnout 57,70165.13–
Eligible voters 88,586
Bloc Québécois gain from New Democratic Swing +14.42
Source: Elections Canada[11][12]

References
  1. "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  2. "Rhéal Fortin, nouveau député de Rivière-du-Nord". Louis-Xavier Michaud. TopoLocal Saint-Jérôme. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  3. "Gilles Duceppe Stepping Down, Will Be Replaced By Rheal Fortin". Huffington Post. Canadian Press. October 22, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  4. Allard, Clement (February 28, 2018). "Seven of 10 Bloc Quebecois MPs quit over Martine Ouellet's leadership". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  5. http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?dir=par&document=index&lang=e&section=pol#QD
  6. "5 Bloc Québécois MPs who quit party returning to the fold". CBC News. September 17, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  7. http://stjerome.topolocal.ca/2015/10/10/conversation-rheal-fortin/
  8. "Ex-Bloc MPs name spokesperson, no leader - The Hill Times". The Hill Times. 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  9. "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  10. "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  11. Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Rivière-du-Nord, 30 September 2015
  12. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates
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