Gilles Caouette
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Gilles Caouette (born February 16, 1940) was a Canadian politician and Member of Parliament.
Caouette was born in Rouyn, 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 Canadian House of Commons as a Ralliement créditiste or Social Credit candidate three times (1963, 1964 and 1965). He finally won election from Labelle riding 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 1958. 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 was replaced as leader in 1978 by Lorne Reznowski, and was defeated in the 1979 election.
Outside of politics, he worked as an administrator, draftsman, research director, and as a technician.
| 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% |
Source: History of the Federal Electoral Ridings since 1867
| Preceded by André-Gilles Fortin |
National Leaders of Social Credit 1977-1978 |
Succeeded by Lorne Reznowski |
