Louise Thibault

Louise Thibault, a Bloc Québécois MP for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, left the BQ caucus in April 2007 to sit as an Independent. Thibault was elected in the 2004 election and had served for three years before her departure. Her crossing reflected ongoing internal tensions within the BQ as some members questioned the party's strategic direction under Gilles Duceppe. Thibault felt she could better serve her constituents outside the constraints of party discipline and chose independence over continued caucus membership.

Thibault ran as an Independent in the October 2008 election and was defeated. The BQ recaptured the riding, demonstrating that Thibault's personal support was insufficient to overcome party loyalty in a riding where the sovereigntist vote remained strong. Her departure was relatively minor in the broader BQ narrative but contributed to the slow erosion of the party's caucus in the years before the catastrophic 2011 "orange wave."