20 Facts About Gilles Duceppe

Gilles Duceppe was Leader of the Official Opposition in the Parliament of Canada from March 17,1997, to June 1,1997.

Gilles Duceppe resigned as party leader after the 2011 election, in which he lost his own seat to New Democratic Party candidate Helene Laverdiere and his party suffered a heavy defeat; however, he returned four years later to lead the party into the 2015 election.

Gilles Duceppe has told the story of an anglophone Grade 6 teacher slapping him after he complained about preferential treatment being given to anglophone students.

Gilles Duceppe became a sovereigntist by the age of 20, inspired by Rene Levesque and the founding of the Mouvement Souverainete-Association.

Gilles Duceppe completed his high school studies at the College Mont-Saint-Louis.

Gilles Duceppe then studied political science at the Universite de Montreal but did not complete his program of study.

Gilles Duceppe later claimed that his three-year membership in the WCP was a mistake brought on by a search for absolute answers.

Gilles Duceppe even went so far as to intentionally spoil his 1980 sovereignty-association referendum ballot arguing that Quebecois should instead focus their efforts on staying united to fight capitalism.

Gilles Duceppe would be handily re-elected at each election from 1993 to 2008.

Gilles Duceppe originally sat as an independent because the Bloc had not been registered by Elections Canada as a political party.

In 1996, when Lucien Bouchard stepped down as Bloc leader to become leader of the Parti Quebecois, Gilles Duceppe served as interim leader of the party.

Gilles Duceppe won the ensuing leadership contest and became the official leader of the Bloc Quebecois and Leader of the Opposition.

Gilles Duceppe strongly criticized the Liberals over the misuse and misdirection of public funds intended for government advertising in Quebec.

On June 13,2005, Gilles Duceppe announced that he would not run for the leadership of the PQ.

Gilles Duceppe confirmed on May 11,2007, that he would seek the PQ leadership but the next day he withdrew from the race.

Gilles Duceppe remained defiant vowing not to rest "until Quebec becomes a country".

In January 2012, Gilles Duceppe was accused of having used funds designated for his parliamentary office to pay the Bloc Quebecois' general manager over a seven-year period.

Gilles Duceppe has worked as a political analyst since his departure from parliament.

In 2014, he denounced comments made by newly elected Bloc leader Mario Beaulieu in which he seemingly dismissed the Bloc under Gilles Duceppe as having followed a gradualist strategy for achieving sovereignty which Beaulieu characterised as defeatist and for invoking the phrase "nous vaincrons", which was a slogan employed by the paramilitary Front de liberation du Quebec.

However, while leading his party to a win of 10 seats in the October 19,2015 election, up from two, Gilles Duceppe was personally defeated in his riding and announced his resignation as leader several days later.