From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Gilles Duceppe (b. July 22, 1947) is a Canadian politician. He is the son of a well-known Quebec actor, Jean Duceppe, and Helene Rowley.
Duceppe is a native of Montreal, and studied political science at the University of Montreal. In his youth he was involved in the Communist Worker's Party, and he later became a trade union negotiator.
In 1990 Duceppe was elected for the newly-formed Bloc Québécois in a by-election in Montreal's Laurier-Sainte-Marie riding. At the time, he was forced to officially run as an independent.
In 1997 he was elected leader of the Bloc, and consequently became Leader of the Opposition. Later that year, a general election removed the Bloc from official opposition status.
Upon Paul Martin, Jr becoming leader of the Liberal Party of Canada in 2003, Duceppe became the longest-serving current leader of a major party in Canada.
