André-Gilles Fortin
Encyclopedia
André-Gilles Fortin was a Canadian
politician
in the 1970s. Fortin was a member of the Canadian House of Commons
for the Social Credit Party of Canada
.
Fortin was elected leader of the party
on November 7, 1976 after his popular predecessor, Réal Caouette
, was forced to resign due to illness. The party was then struggling, having lost almost all its support in the west and in decline in Quebec
where its members were divided between support for Canadian federalism
and for sovereignty association for Quebec, a position supported by René Matte
whom Fortin defeated for the leadership. Fortin's efforts to rebuild the party were cut short when he was killed after only eight months as leader.
Fortin died in a car crash at about three in the morning on June 24, 1977 at the age of 33. It is believed that he fell asleep while driving, and his car went off the highway. where it missed a bridge and jumped over a river, slamming into the embankment on the other side. The accident took place on the Trans-Canada Highway
between Montreal
and Quebec City
. At the time of his death, he had two young children.
Réal Caouette's son, Gilles Caouette
, became acting leader of the party five days later.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in the 1970s. Fortin was a member of the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
for the Social Credit Party of Canada
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
.
Fortin was elected leader of the party
Social Credit Party of Canada leadership conventions
The Canadian social credit movement first contested the 1935 federal election in order to capitalize from the Alberta Social Credit League's surprise victory in Alberta's August 1935 provincial election...
on November 7, 1976 after his popular predecessor, Réal Caouette
Réal Caouette
David Réal Caouette was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He was a Member of Parliament and leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada and founder of the Ralliement des créditistes...
, was forced to resign due to illness. The party was then struggling, having lost almost all its support in the west and in decline in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
where its members were divided between support for Canadian federalism
Canadian federalism
Canada is a federation with two distinct jurisdictions of political authority: the country-wide federal government and the ten regionally-based provincial governments. It also has three territorial governments in the far north, though these are subject to the federal government...
and for sovereignty association for Quebec, a position supported by René Matte
René Matte
René Matte was a Canadian politician and a Member of the House of Commons.-Political career:...
whom Fortin defeated for the leadership. Fortin's efforts to rebuild the party were cut short when he was killed after only eight months as leader.
Fortin died in a car crash at about three in the morning on June 24, 1977 at the age of 33. It is believed that he fell asleep while driving, and his car went off the highway. where it missed a bridge and jumped over a river, slamming into the embankment on the other side. The accident took place on the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
between Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. At the time of his death, he had two young children.
Réal Caouette's son, Gilles Caouette
Gilles Caouette
Gilles Caouette 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...
, became acting leader of the party five days later.