Michel Gauthier (; February 18, 1950 – May 30, 2020) was a Canadian politician, who served as leader of the

Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois (, , BQ) is a centre-left politics, centre-left and list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism, Quebecois nationalism, social democracy, and the promotion o ...

from 1996 to 1997. As the party was the

Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...

in the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada () is the Canadian federalism, federal legislature of Canada. The Monarchy of Canada, Crown, along with two chambers: the Senate of Canada, Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, form the Bicameral ...

, Gauthier was also the

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

during this time. He later recanted his sovereignist views when he joined the Conservative Party two years before his death.

Early life

Gauthier was born in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

on February 18, 1950, and was raised in Chambord. His father, Joseph-Georges Tremblay, worked as a motor engine technician; his mother, Cécile (Archambault), was a housewife. Gauthier was a school teacher from 1970 to 1975, educational advisor from 1976 to 1979, then director of education services from 1979 to 1981 at the Roberval school board. He then served as president of the Tourism Corporation of Chambord in 1975 and in 1976 as president of Chambord Chamber of Commerce in 1977 and 1978.

Political career

Gauthier was first elected as a Member of the

National Assembly of Quebec The National Assembly of Quebec (, ) is the Legislature, legislative body of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; ). The lieutenant governor of Que ...

for the

Parti Québécois The Parti Québécois (PQ; , ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishi ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

for Roberval and was parliamentary secretary to the finance minister from 1983 to 1985. He was re-elected to the legislature in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

and served until 1988 when he resigned his seat to become director-general of the Roberval school board. He won a seat in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

as a candidate of the Bloc Québécois in

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

. Gauthier was not one of the Bloc's better-known Members of Parliament (MPs), but after

Lucien Bouchard Lucien Bouchard (; born December 22, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired politician. A minister for two years in the 24th Canadian Ministry, Mulroney cabinet, Bouchard then founded and led the Bloc Québécois and became Leader ...

resigned to become

Premier of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( (masculine) or eminine is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec, sworn in on October 18, 2018, following tha ...

, Gauthier won the Bloc Québécois leadership election of 1996, defeating

Francine Lalonde Francine Lalonde (August 24, 1940 – January 17, 2014) was a Canadian politician who served on both the provincial and federal levels. Prior to being elected, she was a lecturer, teacher, and unionist. She was minister responsible for the st ...

. The vote was conducted among members of the party's ''directorate'' rather than by all members of the party, and this hurt Gauthier's legitimacy. Gauthier's lack of profile resulted in some opposition parties mocking him as being the "faceless leader" of the opposition, as he was largely a political unknown in most of Canada and even in Quebec. His leadership was unpopular with the

caucus A caucus is a group or meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to ...

due to alleged conservative views and his lack of "charisma or authority" when compared to Bouchard. Facing a revolt by his MPs, which culminated in the leaking of confidential caucus discussions, Gauthier resigned in March 1997. He was succeeded by

Gilles Duceppe Gilles Duceppe (; born July 22, 1947) is a Canadian retired politician, proponent of the Quebec sovereignty movement and former leader of the federal political party, Bloc Québécois. He was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Ca ...

. As a result of health issues after surgery, he announced in March 2007 that he would not run in the next federal election. He served as BQ House Leader from 1997 until 2007. Gauthier also served as the chief campaign organizer. He formally resigned on July 29, 2007, and became the host of ''Gauthier'', a television news show, which began airing on TQS in September 2007. On May 12, 2018, Gauthier joined the

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; , ), sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a Government of Canada, federal List of political parties in Canada, political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main Right-wing ...

after not having been a member of any political party for eleven years. He has also said he was no longer a sovereigntist, though he remained a Quebec nationalist.

Personal life and death

Gauthier was married to Anne Allard until his death. He had two children from a previous marriage (Alexandre and Isabelle). Gauthier died on May 30, 2020, at the age of 70. He had been suffering from lung cancer in the years leading up to his death.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gauthier, Michel 1950 births 2020 deaths Bloc Québécois leaders Bloc Québécois MPs Leaders of the opposition (Canada) Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Parti Québécois MNAs People from Roberval, Quebec Politicians from Quebec City 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Deaths from lung cancer in Canada Deaths from cancer in Quebec 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 20th-century members of the National Assembly of Quebec