# Robert Thibault

Robert G. Thibault, PC (born September 29, 1959) is a Canadian politician.

## Early life

Thibault was born in Digby, Nova Scotia in 1959. He is the grandson of former provincial politician, Joseph William Comeau.

## Political career

Thibault served as a municipal councillor in Clare, Nova Scotia from 1988 to 2001 and was reelected in 2012. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and a former member in the House of Commons of Canada, serving three terms as the representative of West Nova from 2000 to 2008. He won his first federal election in 2000. He was named Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) in 2001. He was Minister of Fisheries and Oceans from 2002 to 2003. He won re-election in 2004. Thibault was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health from 2004 to 2006 under Paul Martin. In the 2006 election, he defeated Conservative opponent and former Nova Scotia cabinet minister Greg Kerr by 511 votes. On April 27, 2007, Thibault was named Liberal Critic for Competitiveness and the New Economy by Liberal leader Stéphane Dion. He was subsequently appointed Liberal critic for Health. Thibault was defeated in Canada's 40th general election on October 14, 2008, by Conservative opponent Greg Kerr.
On October 3, 2009, Thibault was once again nominated to contest the West Nova seat for the Liberals in the 2011 federal election. On May 2, 2011, Thibault was defeated in his comeback attempt, losing to Kerr by more than 4,000 votes.

### Controversy

In August 2008, Thibault caused controversy with some accusing him of ageism when he suggested that his Conservative opponent Greg Kerr was too old for the job. Only five days later, Thibault was accused of sexism when he called Marjory LeBreton, then government leader in the Senate, an "idiot" and suggested she should "go back to making tea" for former prime minister Brian Mulroney. Three months later, Thibault lost his seat in the 2008 election.

## Electoral record

vte2011 Canadian federal election: West Nova :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Greg Kerr | 20,204 | 47.04 | +7.10 | $82,563.21 |
| | Liberal | Robert Thibault | 15,632 | 36.39 | +0.24 | $62,177.30 |
| | New Democratic | George Barron | 5,631 | 13.11 | -3.78 | $12,244.90 |
| | Green | Ross Johnson | 1,487 | 3.46 | -1.55 | none listed |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 42,954 | 100.0 | | $86,810.95 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 356 | 0.82 | +0.10 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,310 | 63.75 | +1.27 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 67,938 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | +3.43 |
| Sources: |||||||
vte2008 Canadian federal election: West Nova :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Greg Kerr | 16,779 | 39.94 | +1.83 | $69,467.56 |
| | Liberal | Robert Thibault | 15,185 | 36.15 | -3.09 | $57,096.02 |
| | New Democratic | George Barron | 7,097 | 16.89 | -1.95 | $12,741.38 |
| | Green | Ronald Mills | 2,106 | 5.01 | +2.71 | $123.04 |
| | Independent | Cindy M. Nesbitt | 844 | 2.01 | – | $10,570.22 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 42,011 | 100.0 | | $83,932 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 304 | 0.72 | +0.12 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,315 | 62.48 | -1.20 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 67,722 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +2.46 |
vte2006 Canadian federal election: West Nova :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Robert Thibault | 17,734 | 39.24 | -3.42 | $53,606.19 |
| | Conservative | Greg Kerr | 17,222 | 38.11 | +5.06 | $54,945.96 |
| | New Democratic | Arthur Bull | 8,512 | 18.84 | -2.29 | $25,148.83 |
| | Green | Matthew Granger | 1,040 | 2.30 | -0.92 | $74.10 |
| | Independent | Ken Griffiths | 681 | 1.51 | – | $2,576.48 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 45,190 | 100.0 | | $79,451 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 274 | 0.60 | -0.21 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,464 | 63.68 | -2.26 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 71,393 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | -4.24 |
vte2004 Canadian federal election: West Nova :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Robert Thibault | 18,343 | 42.66 | +8.06 | $48,703.53 |
| | Conservative | Jon Charles Carey | 14,209 | 33.05 | -20.44 | $70,393.83 |
| | New Democratic | Arthur Bull | 9,086 | 21.13 | +9.67 | $24,310.23 |
| | Green | Matthew Granger | 1,385 | 3.22 | – | none listed |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 42,996 | 100.0 | | $76,207 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 352 | 0.81 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,348 | 65.94 | +1.04 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 65,736 |
| | Liberal notional gain from Progressive Conservative | Liberal notional gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +14.25 |
| Changes from 2000 are based on redistributed results. Change for the Conservative Party is based on the combined totals of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance. |||||||
vte2000 Canadian federal election: West Nova :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Robert Thibault | 12,783 | 36.09 | +10.39 | $57,653 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Mark Muise | 12,080 | 34.11 | -0.20 | $34,692 |
| | Alliance | Mike Donaldson | 6,581 | 18.58 | -0.23 | $32,417 |
| | New Democratic | Phil Roberts | 3,976 | 11.23 | -9.23 | $14,118 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 35,420 | 100.00 |
Results for the Canadian Alliance from 1997 are based on the results of its predecessor, the Reform Party.