Rhéal Éloi Fortin
Based on publicly available information — may contain inaccuracies
Business & Financial Interests
Before entering federal politics, Rhéal Éloi Fortin had a career in law. He was reportedly a co-founder and partner at the law firm Fortin, D'Amour, Goyette, located in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec. His professional background is in civil, commercial, and family law.
Key Relationships & Connections
Rhéal Éloi Fortin served as the interim leader of the Bloc Québécois from 2015 to 2017, following the resignation of Gilles Duceppe. In 2018, he became a key figure in a group of seven MPs who left the Bloc caucus due to disagreements with then-leader Martine Ouellet. This group, which included MPs like Louis Plamondon and Luc Thériault, formed a separate parliamentary group called Québec Debout before eventually rejoining the Bloc caucus after Ouellet's departure.
Public Controversies
The most significant public controversy involving Rhéal Éloi Fortin was the 2018 Bloc Québécois leadership crisis. He was one of seven out of ten Bloc MPs who resigned from the party's caucus, citing disagreements with the leadership approach of Martine Ouellet, which they felt was overly focused on Quebec sovereignty at the expense of other federal issues. The MPs sat as independents under the banner of Québec Debout for several months. The situation caused a major internal crisis for the party. Following a leadership review where Martine Ouellet failed to secure sufficient support, she resigned. Subsequently, Fortin and five of the other dissenting MPs rejoined the Bloc Québécois caucus in September 2018.
Where Rhéal Éloi falls on key policy spectrums
Your Money
People & Society
How We're Governed
Land & Community
Rhéal Fortin won with 25,438 votes (43.8%)
Total votes cast: 58,018
How does Rhéal Éloi Fortin's voting record line up with your values?
Thank you, Madam Chair. I understand the intention of our colleague, Ms. Kwan. It seems entirely reasonable. However, in this case, the administration of justice falls under provincial jurisdiction. Yet we're asking the federal justice minister to report on the program's performance in the provinces. I gather that this must be done in consultation with provincial government officials. That
I agree with the amendment, but I disagree with LIB-1. Are you on the amendment?
No, it's not that long.
Mr. Chang has been “new” for a while, but anyway....
What if it happens?
At the beginning of your presentation, you said that the first question should be: Are you being paid to be here today or not? We often meet people who are full-time employees of organizations. This is probably the most typical form of lobbying we encounter. Are you saying we should consider these people lobbyists and report these meetings?
I'd like to talk about the compensation criterion. Aren't there situations where a person isn't compensated but still derives some benefit from their actions? In such cases, doesn't the compensation criterion somehow skew the assessment?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the witnesses for being here today. Mr. Conacher, we have heard in committee that the Commissioner of Lobbying does not have immunity from prosecution, be it civil or criminal. That's a bit surprising since we thought that, in theory, all officers of Parliament had that immunity. Maybe it's just an oversight. I don't know. I'd like to hear your thoughts on.
Yes.
That's a pretty short comment. I was expecting more. You agree with that. However, do you know why the act doesn't already provide for it?
Mr. Thurlow, I'll ask you the same question. Do you think she should be required to impose penalties or simply have the power to do so?
I apologize for interrupting you, but I only have about a minute of my time left. I understand your analogy of getting a ticket and paying it, but thinking that there will still be more in the future. However, we're talking about lobbying, and you're a lobbyist. You're the head of a lobbying firm. If the Commissioner of Lobbying told you that she was imposing a penalty, regardless of the
I'd like to hear your thoughts on another aspect. We're tightening the criteria for lobbying. Actually, we're not tightening them—we're expanding them to include more activities. In every riding, people often seek out their member of Parliament. People call me at my office every week. Business owners, chambers of commerce and citizens ask what they should do if they haven't received their
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Thurlow, I'd like to pick up where we left off a few moments ago regarding the work of MPs. As an MP, I experience this first-hand. I deal with it constantly. I often think about how this should all be structured. For instance, say someone comes to see me to discuss an issue. It could be a cultural community, an advocacy group or whatever. They ask to meet with me, and
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Boucher, thank you for being here today. I'd like to get your opinion on something we haven't really talked about yet. In its definition of lobbying activities, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development proposes to include all attempts to influence public opinion. Among other things, I can see that this includes grassroots communications, which
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon, Mr. Ali. One of the proposals was to consider board members as well as partners or sole proprietors as employees, which would require them to register as lobbyists for the company they represent. I'd like to hear your opinion. Are there distinctions to be made? Do you agree with this? If there are nuances, please share them with us.
Mr. Thurlow, you agree that the commissioner should have immunity, right? Yes. Okay. Mr. Conacher, the commissioner also says that she should have some power to impose penalties, if only administrative penalties, such as training, licence suspension and perhaps monetary penalties. What do you think? Would it, in fact, be a good idea to grant her more powers to impose penalties?
Mr. Boucher, our time is up. Could you send us your recommendations in writing, whether they be in the form of a brief, letters or something else?