Gilles Duceppe

Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe is one of Ottawa’s longest serving MPs, first elected in a 1990 by-election.

The son of well-known Quebec actor Jean Duceppe, Gilles was the only child not to pursue a career in the arts. Instead, Gilles took political science at the Université de Montréal and became involved with the school paper Quartier Latin. While working as an orderly at Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital, Gilles became involved in union matters.

In 1981, he was promoted to union organizer and later a negotiator with the CSN (Confederation of National Trade Unions). In 1990, Gilles was asked to run in the Liberal bastion of Laurier-Sainte Marie. Yolande, Gilles’ spouse, did not hesitate when he told her and encouraged him to run. Gilles won handily even though he ran as an independent; the fledgling Bloc Québécois was not officially registered as a political party.

He became Bloc leader in 1997, and is now the longest-serving party head in Ottawa. Married to Yolande since 1978, they have two children: Amélie and Alexis. Catherine Clark speaks to Gilles Duceppe about his life Beyond Politics.