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Rhéal Fortin

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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
Interim Leader of the Bloc Québécois
In office
October 22, 2015 – March 18, 2017
Preceded byGilles Duceppe
Succeeded byMartine Ouellet
Member of Parliament
for Rivière-du-Nord
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded byPierre Dionne Labelle
Personal details
BornRhéal Éloi Fortin
Laval-des-Rapides, Quebec, Canada
PartyBloc Québécois
Other political
affiliations
Québec debout (2018)
ProfessionLawyer

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.

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 for Rivière-du-Nord as a member of the Bloc Québécois,[1]

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.[2]

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 independent MPs on February 28, 2018 citing conflicts with Ouellet's leadership.[3] Fortin then served as leader of the party formed by the dissidents, Québec debout.[4] He rejoined the Bloc Québécois caucus on September 17, 2018.[5]

Biography

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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.[citation needed]

At the time of the 2025 Canadian federal election, he lived in Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts.[6]

Political career

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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]

He served as the justice critic in the Bloc Québécois Shadow Cabinet of the 44th Parliament of Canada.[9]

He was elected vice chair of the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in the 45th Canadian Parliament in 2025.

Electoral record

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2025 Canadian federal election: Rivière-du-Nord
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
Bloc QuébécoisRhéal Fortin25,43843.85−7.75$22,420.66
LiberalMary-Helen Walton18,34531.62+9.15$3,070.24
ConservativePatricia Morrissette12,20321.03+8.99$5,071.29
New DemocraticChristel Marchand2,0323.50−3.38$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 58,01897.73–$139,338.04
Total rejected ballots 1,3492.27
Turnout 59,36763.42
Eligible voters 93,608
Bloc Québécois notional hold Swing −8.45
Source: Elections Canada[10][11]
Note: number of eligible voters does not include voting day registrations.
2021 Canadian federal election: Rivière-du-Nord
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
Bloc QuébécoisRhéal Fortin29,94352.2+0.2$17,137.18
LiberalTheodora Bajkin12,76722.3±0.0$5,481.12
ConservativePatricia Morrissette6,80311.9+0.1$17,935.40
New DemocraticMarie-Helen Paspaliaris3,9586.9-0.1$703.54
People'sKeeyan Ravanshid2,1643.8+3.1$1,391.38
FreeMarie-Eve Damour1,0361.8N/A$733.88
RhinocerosJean-François René3730.7N/A$0.00
Indépendance du QuébecNicolas Riqueur-Lainé2850.5+0.1$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 57,32997.7–$126,251.14
Total rejected ballots 1,3272.3
Turnout 58,65659.1
Eligible voters 99,292
Bloc Québécois hold Swing +0.1
Source: Elections Canada[12]
2019 Canadian federal election: Rivière-du-Nord
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
Bloc QuébécoisRhéal Fortin31,28152.0+20.0$14,299.86
LiberalFlorence Gagnon13,40222.3-4.1$53,916.68
ConservativeSylvie Fréchette7,12011.8+3.3$28,363.50
New DemocraticMyriam Ouellette4,1947.0-23.1none listed
GreenJoey Leckman3,3455.6+3.1$7,366.15
People'sNormand Michaud4070.7–$45.01
Indépendance du QuébecNicolas Riqueur-Lainé2250.4–$117.25
IndependentLucie St-Gelais1270.2–$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 60,101100.0
Total rejected ballots 1,206
Turnout 61,30764.0
Eligible voters 95,813
Bloc Québécois hold Swing +12.05
Source: Elections Canada[13][14]
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[15][16]

References

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  1. ↑ "Rhéal Fortin, nouveau député de Rivière-du-Nord". Louis-Xavier Michaud. TopoLocal Saint-Jérôme. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "Gilles Duceppe Stepping Down, Will Be Replaced By Rheal Fortin". Huffington Post. Canadian Press. October 22, 2015. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ "Registered Political Parties and Parties Eligible for Registration". 25 January 2022.
  5. ↑ "5 Bloc Québécois MPs who quit party returning to the fold". CBC News. September 17, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  6. ↑ "forty-fifth general election 2025".
  7. ↑ "Une conversation avec Rhéal Fortin - TopoLocal Saint-Jérôme". Archived from the original on 2015-11-18. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
  8. ↑ "Ex-Bloc MPs name spokesperson, no leader - The Hill Times". The Hill Times. 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  9. ↑ Lévesque, Catherine (October 5, 2021). "Bloc Québécois announces shadow cabinet". Montreal Gazette.
  10. ↑ "Voter information service". Elections Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Election Night Results - Electoral Districts". Elections Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  12. ↑ "List of confirmed candidates – September 20, 2021 Federal Election". Elections Canada. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  15. ↑ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Rivière-du-Nord, 30 September 2015
  16. ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates
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