Gilles Caouette

Gilles Caouette (; February 16, 1940 – August 13, 2009) was a Canadian politician and member of Parliament.

Caouette was born in Rouyn-Noranda, 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 House of Commons of Canada as a Ralliement créditiste or Social Credit candidate three times (1963, 1964 and 1965). He finally won election from Charlevoix 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 politics he worked as an administrator, draftsman, research director, and as a technician.

+ Election results Date of election Party Riding Place # of votes % of popular vote 8 April 1963 general election 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 Ralliement créditiste Labelle 2nd of 4 3,697 23.7% 30 October 1972 general election Social Credit Charlevoix elected (1st of 3) 10,264 39.3% 8 July 1974 general election 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 Social Credit Témiscamingue 2nd of 7 15,295 39.1%

Electoral record