# Richard Martel

Richard Martel MP (born March 23, 1961) is a Canadian politician and former ice hockey coach. He last coached the Grenoble Brûleurs de Loups in the French Ligue Magnus. Martel was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election on June 18, 2018. He represents the electoral district of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.

## Coaching career

Martel was an assistant coach under Jos Canale from 1991 to 1993 in Chicoutimi. Between 1993 and 2011, Martel served as a head coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) where he twice won the Ron Lapointe Trophy as the QMJHL coach of the year. On February 28, 2010, Martel became the most successful coach in the history of the QMJHL when he coached the Chicoutimi Saguenéens to a 3–1 victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar to win his 570th QMJHL game, surpassing the record previously held by Guy Chouinard.

### Coaching record
#### QMJHL

| Team | Year | Regular Season | Regular Season | Regular Season | Regular Season | Regular Season | Regular Season | Regular Season | Post Season |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | T | OTL | W-L% | Finish | Result |
| Saint-Hyacinthe | 1993-94 | 72 | 35 | 30 | 7 | 0 | .535 | 4th in Lebel | Eliminated - Round 1 |
| Saint-Hyacinthe | 1994-95 | 72 | 26 | 42 | 4 | 0 | .389 | 5th in Lebel | Eliminated - Round 1 |
| Val-d'Or | 1995-96 | 70 | 39 | 24 | 7 | 0 | .607 | 3rd in Lebel | Eliminated - Round 2 |
| Val-d'Or | 1996-97 | 70 | 40 | 28 | 2 | 0 | .586 | 3rd in Lebel | Eliminated - Semi Finals |
| Val-d'Or | 1997-98 | 58 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 0 | .552 | (replaced mid-season) | — |
| Baie-Comeau | 1998-99 | 53 | 17 | 32 | 4 | 0 | .358 | 7th in Dilio | Missed Playoffs |
| Baie-Comeau | 1999-00 | 72 | 31 | 31 | 5 | 5 | .500 | 3rd in East | Eliminated - Round 1 |
| Baie-Comeau | 2000-01 | 72 | 41 | 23 | 8 | 0 | .625 | 1st in East | Eliminated - Semi Finals |
| Baie-Comeau | 2001-02 | 72 | 38 | 25 | 7 | 2 | .590 | 2nd in East | Eliminated - Round 1 |
| Baie-Comeau | 2002-03 | 72 | 50 | 14 | 6 | 2 | .750 | 1st in East | Eliminated - Semi Finals |
| Chicoutimi | 2003-04 | 42 | 23 | 13 | 5 | 1 | .619 | 2nd in Eastern | Eliminated - Semi Finals |
| Chicoutimi | 2004-05 | 70 | 38 | 19 | 6 | 7 | .636 | 2nd in Eastern | Eliminated - Semi Finals |
| Chicoutimi | 2005-06 | 70 | 51 | 15 | 0 | 4 | .757 | 2nd in Western | Eliminated - Round 2 |
| Chicoutimi | 2006-07 | 70 | 34 | 28 | 0 | 8 | .543 | 8th in Telus | Eliminated - Round 1 |
| Chicoutimi | 2007-08 | 70 | 37 | 25 | 0 | 8 | .585 | 4th in Telus | Eliminated - Round 1 |
| Chicoutimi | 2008-09 | 68 | 24 | 32 | 0 | 12 | .441 | 3rd in Telus East | Eliminated - Round 1 |
| Chicoutimi | 2009-10 | 68 | 26 | 33 | 0 | 9 | .449 | 3rd in Telus East | Eliminated - Round 1 |
| Chicoutimi | 2009-10 | 50 | 18 | 22 | 0 | 10 | .460 | (replaced mid-season) | — |
| Total | Total | 1191 | 597 | 459 | 67 | 68 | Win%: .501 | Win%: .501 | |
Source: Career profile

### Awards and honours

| Award | Year |
| Ron Lapointe Trophy - QMJHL Coach of the Year | 1993–94 |
| Ron Lapointe Trophy - QMJHL Coach of the Year | 2004–05 |

## Politics

On December 20, 2017, Martel was named the Conservative candidate for an upcoming by-election in the federal electoral district of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, as a star candidate. Martel was recruited by a former player, Antoine Tardif, who served as the party's chief organizer in Quebec. Martel had previously been courted to run for mayor of Saguenay as well as the National Assembly of Quebec.
Martel was elected as a Member of Parliament on June 18, 2018, gaining the seat from the Liberals.
He was reelected in the 2019 Canadian federal election.
On September 2, 2020, Conservative leader Erin O'Toole announced that Martel would serve as the party's Quebec lieutenant, succeeding Alain Rayes. Martel served in the role until November 8, 2021, when he was succeeded by Rayes.

### Electoral record

vte2021 Canadian federal election: Chicoutimi—Le Fjord :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Richard Martel | 17,291 | 40.95 | +4.14 | $49,214.19 |
| | Bloc Québécois | Julie Bouchard | 14,096 | 33.38 | -1.53 | $13,745.50 |
| | Liberal | Jean Duplain | 7,746 | 18.35 | +1.24 | $0.00 |
| | New Democratic | Ismaël Raymond | 1,952 | 4.62 | -1.88 | $2,095.41 |
| | People's | Jimmy Voyer | 650 | 1.54 | +0.72 | none listed |
| | Green | Yves Laporte | 489 | 1.16 | -2.00 | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 42,224 | – | – | $104,807.38 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 64.47 | -3.68 |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | 65,498 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | +2.83 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2019 Canadian federal election: Chicoutimi—Le Fjord :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Richard Martel | 16,155 | 36.82 | -15.85 | $88,278.98 |
| | Bloc Québécois | Valérie Tremblay | 15,321 | 34.91 | +29.31 | none listed |
| | Liberal | Dajana Dautovic | 7,504 | 17.10 | -12.40 | $9,048.24 |
| | New Democratic | Stéphane Girard | 2,855 | 6.51 | -2.14 | $1,181.55 |
| | Green | Lynda Youde | 1,388 | 3.16 | +0.07 | $2,988.37 |
| | People's | Jimmy Voyer | 359 | 0.82 | – | $1,360.01 |
| | Rhinoceros | Line Bélanger | 299 | 0.68 | – | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 43,881 | 97.94 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 925 | 2.06 | +0.42 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,806 | 68.15 | +1.48 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 65,747 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -21.09 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vteCanadian federal by-election, June 18, 2018: Chicoutimi—Le Fjord Resignation of Denis Lemieux :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Martel | 12,600 | 52.76 | +36.16 |
| | Liberal | Lina Boivin | 7,044 | 29.50 | -1.60 |
| | New Democratic | Éric Dubois | 2,065 | 8.65 | -21.07 |
| | Bloc Québécois | Catherine Bouchard-Tremblay | 1,337 | 5.60 | -14.92 |
| | Green | Lynda Youde | 738 | 3.09 | +1.02 |
| | Independent | John Turmel | 98 | 0.41 | |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 23,882 | 98.67 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 322 | 1.33 | -0.34 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,294 | 36.52 | -30.15 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 66,267 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +18.88 |
| Source:Elections Canada: Official Voting Results |||||||