Richard Martel

The Honourable
Richard Martel
Canadian Senator
from Quebec (Rougemont)
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 July 2026
Nominated byMark Carney
Appointed byLouise Arbour
Member of Parliament
for Chicoutimi—Le Fjord
In office
18 June 2018 – 7 July 2026
Preceded byDenis Lemieux
Personal details
Born (1961-03-23) 23 March 1961
Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada
PartyIndependent
Other political
affiliations
Conservative (until 2026)
SpouseAnnie Houle
OccupationIce hockey coach
Ice hockey career
Coached for Saint-Hyacinthe Laser
Val-d'Or Foreurs
Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Chicoutimi Sagueneens
Brûleurs de Loups (France)
Coaching career 1993–2015

Richard Martel (born 23 March 1961) is a Canadian politician and former ice hockey coach who has served as a senator from Quebec (Rougemont) since 2026. Before to his appointment to the Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Mark Carney, Martel was a member of Parliament (MP) with the Conservative Party, representing Chicoutimi—Le Fjord in the House of Commons from 2018 to 2026.

He last coached the Grenoble Brûleurs de Loups in the French Ligue Magnus. Between 1993 and 2011, Martel served as a head coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

Coaching career

Martel was an assistant coach under Jos Canale from 1991 to 1993 in Chicoutimi.[1][2] Between 1993 and 2011, Martel served as a head coach in the QMJHL where he twice won the Ron Lapointe Trophy as the QMJHL coach of the year. On 28 February 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.[3]

Coaching record

Martel in 2014

QMJHL

TeamYearRegular seasonPost Season
GWLTOTLW-L%FinishResult
Saint-Hyacinthe1993-94 72353070.5354th in LebelEliminated - Round 1
Saint-Hyacinthe1994-95 72264240.3895th in LebelEliminated - Round 1
Val-d'Or1995-96 70392470.6073rd in LebelEliminated - Round 2
Val-d'Or1996-97 70402820.5863rd in LebelEliminated - Semi Finals
Val-d'Or1997-98 58292360.552(replaced mid-season)—
Baie-Comeau1998-99 53173240.3587th in DilioMissed playoffs
Baie-Comeau1999-00 72313155.5003rd in EastEliminated - Round 1
Baie-Comeau2000-01 72412380.6251st in EastEliminated - Semi Finals
Baie-Comeau2001-02 72382572.5902nd in EastEliminated - Round 1
Baie-Comeau2002-03 72501462.7501st in EastEliminated - Semi Finals
Chicoutimi2003-04 42231351.6192nd in EasternEliminated - Semi Finals
Chicoutimi2004-05 70381967.6362nd in EasternEliminated - Semi Finals
Chicoutimi2005-06 70511504.7572nd in WesternEliminated - Round 2
Chicoutimi2006-07 70342808.5438th in TelusEliminated - Round 1
Chicoutimi2007-08 70372508.5854th in TelusEliminated - Round 1
Chicoutimi2008-09 682432012.4413rd in Telus EastEliminated - Round 1
Chicoutimi2009-10 68263309.4493rd in Telus EastEliminated - Round 1
Chicoutimi2009-10 501822010.460(replaced mid-season)—
Total11915974596768Win%: .501

Source: Career profile

Awards and honours

Award Year
Ron Lapointe Trophy - QMJHL Coach of the Year 1993–94 [4]
Ron Lapointe Trophy - QMJHL Coach of the Year 2004–05 [5]

Political career

Andrew Scheer at opening of Martel's campaign office

On 20 December 2017, Martel was named the Conservative candidate for an upcoming by-election in the federal electoral district of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord,[6] as a star candidate.[7] Martel was recruited by a former player, Antoine Tardif, who served as the party's chief organizer in Quebec.[8][9] Martel had previously been courted to run for mayor of Saguenay as well as the National Assembly of Quebec.[10]

Martel was elected as a Member of Parliament on 18 June 2018, gaining the seat from the Liberals.[11]

He was reelected in the 2019 Canadian federal election.[7][12]

On 2 September 2020, Conservative leader Erin O'Toole announced that Martel would serve as the party's Quebec lieutenant, succeeding Alain Rayes.[13] Martel served in the role until 8 November 2021, when he was succeeded by Rayes.

On 7 July 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney advised Governor General Louise Arbour to appoint Martel to the Senate.[14]

Electoral record

2025 Canadian federal election: Chicoutimi—Le Fjord
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
ConservativeRichard Martel17,35634.14-6.24$91,466.24
Bloc QuébécoisMarc St-Hilaire15,85731.19-2.88$44,039.70
LiberalStéphane Proulx15,82031.12+12.90$6,306.74
New DemocraticRaphaël Émond9911.95-2.75$2,726.02
GreenYves Laporte4760.94-0.24$15.96
People'sFrançois Sabourin3390.67-0.70none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit 50,83998.60–$125,644.80
Total rejected ballots 7211.40-0.56
Turnout 51,56068.54+3.89
Eligible voters 75,229
Conservative notional hold Swing -1.68
Source: Elections Canada[15][16][17]
2021 Canadian federal election: Chicoutimi—Le Fjord
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
ConservativeRichard Martel17,22841.01+4.20$49,214.19
Bloc QuébécoisJulie Bouchard14,02733.39-1.52$13,745.50
LiberalJean Duplain7,67618.27+1.17$0.00
New DemocraticIsmaël Raymond1,9444.63-1.88$2,095.41
People'sJimmy Voyer6491.55+0.73none listed
GreenYves Laporte4821.15-2.02$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 42,00698.14–$104,807.38
Total rejected ballots 7971.86-0.20
Turnout 42,80365.27-2.88
Registered voters 65,579
Conservative hold Swing +2.86
Source: Elections Canada[18]
2019 Canadian federal election: Chicoutimi—Le Fjord
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
ConservativeRichard Martel16,15536.82-15.94$88,278.98
Bloc QuébécoisValérie Tremblay15,32134.91+29.32none listed
LiberalDajana Dautovic7,50417.10-12.39$9,048.24
New DemocraticStéphane Girard2,8556.51-2.14$1,181.55
GreenLynda Youde1,3883.16+0.07$2,988.37
People'sJimmy Voyer3590.82–$1,360.01
RhinocerosLine Bélanger2990.68–$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 43,88197.94
Total rejected ballots 9252.06+0.73
Turnout 44,80668.15+31.62
Eligible voters 65,747
Conservative hold Swing -22.63
Source: Elections Canada[19][20]
Canadian federal by-election, June 18, 2018: Chicoutimi—Le Fjord
Resignation of Denis Lemieux
Party Candidate Votes%±%
ConservativeRichard Martel12,60052.76+36.16
LiberalLina Boivin7,04429.50-1.60
New DemocraticÉric Dubois2,0658.65-21.07
Bloc QuébécoisCatherine Bouchard-Tremblay1,3375.60-14.92
GreenLynda Youde7383.09+1.02
IndependentJohn Turmel980.41
Total valid votes/expense limit 23,88298.67
Total rejected ballots 3221.33-0.34
Turnout 24,20436.52-30.15
Eligible voters 66,267
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +18.88
Source:Elections Canada: Official Voting Results

References

  1. ↑ Émond, Serge (17 November 2010). "Canale de retour avec les Sags". Le Quotidien (in French). Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  2. ↑ "Jos Canale devient conseiller avec les Saguenéens". Chicoutimi Saguenéens (in French). 16 November 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  3. ↑ "Richard Martel of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens now QMJHL's winningest head coach - NHL.com - News". nhl.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "Coach Martel ties record as Sagueneens beat Drakkar". tsn.ca. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "QMJHL: Martel gets win in 1000th game". tsn.ca. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  6. ↑ Houle, Jean (20 December 2017). "L'ex-entraîneur Richard Martel officiellement candidat pour le Parti conservateur". Journal de Québec. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  7. 1 2 Boutilier, Alex (22 October 2019). "Quebec Conservatives acknowledge party's campaign shortcomings | The Star". Toronto Star. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  8. ↑ Montpetit, Jonathan (19 June 2018). "How the federal Conservatives handed the Liberals their first byelection loss since 2013". CBC News.
  9. ↑ Raj, Althia (27 August 2018). "Inside The Conservatives' 2019 Election Plan: Flirting With Quebec Separatists". Althia Raj.
  10. ↑ Tremblay, Louis (20 December 2017). "Richard Martel fait le saut en politique chez les conservateurs". Le Quotidien. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  11. ↑ "Le conservateur Richard Martel élu député fédéral de Chicoutimi–Le Fjord". Journal de Québec. Agence QMI. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  12. ↑ Montpetit, Jonathan (22 October 2019). "Big gains for the Bloc Québécois, but what did it sacrifice in the process?". CBC News.
  13. ↑ "Conservative Party: Richard Martel becomes Quebec lieutenant, Gérard Deltell becomes parliamentary leader". HuffPost (in French). 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  14. ↑ Bergeron-Oliver, Annie (7 July 2026). "Carney poaches Conservative MP in latest batch of Senate appointments". CTVNews. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Voter information service". Elections Canada. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  16. ↑ "Forty-Fifth General Election 2025 — Poll-by-poll Results: Chicoutimi—Le Fjord". Elections Canada. 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "2025 General Election: Part 3C – Summary of Electoral Campaign Expenses and Other Outflows – Election expenses subject to the limit – Total". Elections Canada. 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  20. ↑ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
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