Portrait

Who is Gil

I had the idea of making short little capsules, right up to the election. And if you send me comments, questions, even ideas — why not?

A native of the Magdalen Islands, Gil Thériault spent his childhood there.

As a teenager, he set off to discover other corners of Canada and began learning English. He went on to study at Cégep de Sainte-Foy before completing a bachelor's degree in public communications at Université Laval.

He returned to the Magdalen Islands for several years, during which he threw himself into the community's momentum — founding Sofilm, a parallel film series, running the Club Vacances des Îles (now La Salicorne), and playing an active role in creating events such as the Contes en Îles storytelling festival and Circus Arts Week.

He then worked across several professional fields and cities around the world, until his passion for travel and discovering others led him to visit more than fifty countries, sharing that passion through his photography and writing.

After a long stay in Turkey, where he found love, Gil moved back to the Magdalen Islands with his wife to care for his father at the end of his life. In doing so, he reconnected with his native island and decided to start his own family there.

Driven by a search for professional purpose, he became a passionate advocate for Islanders' right to make rational, sustainable use of the fishing resources that surround them and drive their economy.

First known for his travel writing, he continues to be invited onto national and international stages — this time for his thinking on wildlife resource management.

Over the years, Gil Thériault has published several books, and his next one will bring together years of reflection on the polarizing issue of the seal hunt.

He recently ran for and was elected municipal councillor, and also joined the Canadian Rangers to serve his community even further.

The former globetrotter now raises his two daughters, Ada and Mila, in the house where he grew up, together with his wife, Ezgi.