# Yves-François Blanchet

Yves-François Blanchet MP (French:; born April 16, 1965) is a Canadian politician who has led the Bloc Québécois (BQ) since 2019. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Beloeil—Chambly since the 2019 federal election.
Blanchet was born in Drummondville, Quebec, and graduated from the Université de Montréal. Prior to entering politics he ran an artist management firm and was the president of ADISQ from 2003 to 2006. Blanchet served as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for the Parti Québécois (PQ) from 2008 until his defeat in the 2014 election. He was Quebec's Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks from 2012 to 2014 under Premier Pauline Marois.
Blanchet was elected unopposed as leader of the Bloc Québécois in 2019, following Martine Ouellet's resignation the previous year. He was elected to parliament later that year, with the BQ increasing its number of seats from 10 in 2015 to 32 in 2019 and overtaking the New Democratic Party (NDP) to become the House of Commons' third-largest party. At the 2021 election the BQ recorded a marginal increase in vote share and retained all its seats to remain as the third-largest party.

## Life and career

Blanchet was born April 16, 1965, in Drummondville, Quebec, to Pierrette Bédard, a nurse, and Raymond Blanchet, a technician and lineman. He is a graduate from the Université de Montréal where he obtained a bachelor's degree in history and anthropology in 1987. He later worked as a teacher and was a founder of an artist, disc and concert management firm, YFB Inc. while being the president of the ADISQ from 2003 to 2006. He was named the local business personality of the year by the Drummondville Chamber of Commerce, while he and associated artists received 10 Félix Awards.
Blanchet was elected to represent the riding of Drummond in the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2008 provincial election. In the 2012 election, he was reelected, this time in Johnson electoral district. A member of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Blanchet was Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks from 2012 until 2014. He was also a member of the Youth National Committee of the Parti Québécois in 1988 as well as a regional director of the PQ. He was defeated by Coalition Avenir Québec candidate André Lamontagne in the 2014 Quebec election.
Prior to becoming leader of the Bloc Québécois, he was a columnist with Le Nouvelliste, and appeared on the program Les Ex, on ICI RDI.

### Bloc Québécois (2019–present)

On November 26, 2018, Blanchet announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Bloc Québécois. As no other candidate had entered the race by the time nominations closed on January 15, 2019, Blanchet was officially acclaimed leader on January 17, 2019.
Ahead of the 2019 federal election, BQ polling numbers rose to alignment towards those of the popular François Legault-led Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) provincial government. Blanchet won his seat of Beloeil—Chambly. Under Blanchet's leadership, the BQ increased its number of seats from 10 in 2015, to 32 seats in 2019, both overtaking the NDP to become the third-largest party in Canada and regaining official party status.
In the 2021 snap federal election, the Bloc Québécois led by Blanchet won 32 seats, unchanged from the prior election.
The Bloc Québécois held a leadership confidence vote in May 2023. Blanchet won 97 per cent of the vote.

## Personal life

Blanchet married and is now separated from Nancy Déziel.
In September 2020, Blanchet tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after his wife had tested positive earlier in the month, requiring him to self-isolate at his residence in Shawinigan during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec.

## Electoral record
### Federal results

vte2021 Canadian federal election: Beloeil—Chambly :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Bloc Québécois | Yves-François Blanchet | 34,678 | 53.1 | +2.5 | $44,405.09 |
| | Liberal | Marie-Chantal Hamel | 15,460 | 23.7 | -0.1 | $20,410.86 |
| | Conservative | Stéphane Robichaud | 5,622 | 8.6 | +2.8 | $1,228.76 |
| | New Democratic | Marie-Josée Béliveau | 5,525 | 8.5 | -6.5 | $1,187.30 |
| | People's | Danila Ejov | 1,344 | 2.1 | +1.5 | $5.00 |
| | Green | Fabrice Gélinas Larrain | 1,294 | 2.0 | -2.7 | $1,848.81 |
| | Free | Mario Grimard | 845 | 1.3 | – | $1,113.55 |
| | Marijuana | Benjamin Vachon | 191 | 0.3 | – | $0.00 |
| | Rhinoceros | Thomas Thibault-Vincent | 185 | 0.3 | – | $0.00 |
| | Indépendance du Québec | Michel Blondin | 163 | 0.2 | – | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 65,324 | 98.3 | – | $124,082.82 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 1,109 | 1.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66,433 | 68.7 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 96,633 |
| | Bloc Québécois hold | Bloc Québécois hold | Swing | Swing | +1.3 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2019 Canadian federal election: Beloeil—Chambly :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Bloc Québécois | Yves-François Blanchet | 35,068 | 50.5 | +22.82 | $36,540.34 |
| | Liberal | Marie-Chantal Hamel | 16,059 | 23.1 | -6.24 | $62,823.63 |
| | New Democratic | Matthew Dubé | 10,086 | 14.5 | -16.57 | $20,636.78 |
| | Conservative | Véronique Laprise | 4,305 | 6.2 | -3.09 | $0.00 |
| | Green | Pierre Carrier | 3,255 | 4.7 | +2.45 | $18,235.50 |
| | People's | Chloé Bernard | 512 | 0.7 | – | $5,931.38 |
| | Indépendence du Québec | Michel Blondin | 205 | 0.3 | – | $768.82 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 69,490 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 1,064 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 70,554 | 73.7 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 95,723 |
| | Bloc Québécois gain from New Democratic | Bloc Québécois gain from New Democratic | Swing | Swing | +19.79 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||

### Provincial results

2014 Quebec general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Coalition Avenir Québec | André Lamontagne | 13,621 | 36.06 |
| | Parti Québécois | Yves-François Blanchet | 11,768 | 31.16 |
| | Liberal | Brigitte Mercier | 8,946 | 23.69 |
| | Québec solidaire | François Desrochers | 2,365 | 6.26 |
| | Parti nul | Sébastien Gauthier | 502 | 1.33 |
| | Option nationale | Magali Doucet | 304 | 0.80 |
| | Conservative | Benoit Lussier | 262 | 0.69 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 37,768 | 98.04 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 755 | 1.96 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,523 | 67.44 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 57,123 | – |
2012 Quebec general election :
| Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Parti Québécois | Yves-François Blanchet | 15,007 | 36.16 | +1.34 |
| Coalition Avenir Québec | Stéphane Legault | 14,804 | 35.67 | +5.16 |
| Liberal | Nancy Boyce | 8,434 | 20.32 | -9.55 |
| Québec solidaire | Julie Dionne | 1,887 | 4.55 | +1.57 |
| Option nationale | Steve Lemay | 889 | 2.14 | |
| Conservative | Benoit Lussier | 479 | 1.15 | |
2008 Quebec general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Parti Québécois | Yves-François Blanchet | 11,480 | 34.40 |
| Liberal | Jacques Sigouin | 10,860 | 32.54 |
| Action démocratique | Sébastien Schneeberger | 9,757 | 29.23 |
| Québec solidaire | Luce Daneau | 1,279 | 3.83 |