Bob Nault

The Honourable Bob Nault PC
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Kenora
In office October 19, 2015 – September 11, 2019
Preceded by	Greg Rickford
Succeeded by	Eric Melillo
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Kenora—Rainy River
In office November 21, 1988 – June 28, 2004
Preceded by	John Edmund Parry
Succeeded by	District was abolished in 2003
Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development
In office February 4, 2016 – September 11, 2019
Preceded by	Dean Allison
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
In office August 3, 1999 – December 11, 2003
Preceded by	Jane Stewart
Succeeded by	Andy Mitchell
Personal details
Born	Robert Daniel Nault (1955-11-09) November 9, 1955 Ste. Anne, Manitoba, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Lana Rae Jardine (m. 1987)
Children	two
Alma mater	University of Alberta, University of Winnipeg
Profession	Canadian Pacific Railway conductor

Robert Daniel Nault PC (born November 9, 1955) is a Canadian politician.

A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, Nault began his career as city councillor for Kenora City Council. He was first elected to the House of Commons as the representative for Kenora—Rainy River in 1988, beating NDP incumbent John Parry. Following the 1988 election, Nault ran successfully in the 1993,1997, and 2000 federal elections.

Nault also served as Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in the cabinet of Jean Chrétien from 1999 to 2003. While in cabinet, he introduced the First Nations Governance Act, a program of reform and financial accountability measures for First Nations.

In February 2004, he announced he would leave politics to set up a consulting business, Western Frontier International Group. He did not seek re-election in the 2004 election.

In January 2015, Nault announced his intention to seek the Liberal Party of Canada nomination for Kenora, which includes nearly all of his old riding, in the 2015 federal election scheduled for October 19. On May 31, 2015, Nault was nominated as the party's candidate. In the ensuing election, he edged out former provincial NDP leader Howard Hampton, who had represented the area provincially from 1987 to 2011, by only 2% to return to Parliament after a 12-year absence. Incumbent Conservative and cabinet minister Greg Rickford was pushed into third place.

In February 2016, Nault was elected Chair by committee members of the Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee.

He was defeated in the 2019 federal election.

Electoral record

2019 Canadian federal election: Kenora
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Eric Melillo	9,313	34.1	+5.64
	Liberal	Bob Nault	8,188	30.0	-5.50
	New Democratic	Rudy Turtle	7,781	28.5	-5.38
	Green	Kirsi Ralko	1,475	5.4	+3.77
	People's	Michael Di Pasquale	382	1.4	-
	Independent	Kelvin Boucher-Chicago	165	0.6	-
Total valid votes			27,304	100.00
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing		+9.04

2015 Canadian federal election: Kenora
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Bob Nault	10,898	35.39
	New Democratic	Howard Hampton	10,379	33.71
	Conservative	Greg Rickford	8,760	28.45
	Green	Ember C. McKilop	501	1.63
	Independent	Kelvin Boucher-Chicago	162	0.53
Total valid votes			30,791	100.00

2000 Canadian federal election: Kenora—Rainy River
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Bob Nault	14,416	45.21
	Alliance	Ed Prefontaine	9,125	28.62
	New Democratic	Susan Barclay	6,868	21.54
	Progressive Conservative	Brian Barrett	1,479	4.63
Total valid votes			31,885	100.00
Total rejected ballots			134	–
Turnout			32,019	58.44
Eligible voters			54,792

1997 Canadian federal election: Kenora—Rainy River
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Bob Nault	14,084	41.93
	Reform	Ken Hyatt	9,782	29.12
	New Democratic	Ruth Bergman	6,922	20.61
	Progressive Conservative	Gordon Lee	2,799	8.33
Total valid votes			33,587	100.00
Total rejected ballots			189	–
Turnout			33,776	60.57
Eligible voters			55,764

1993 Canadian federal election: Kenora—Rainy River
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Bob Nault	22,157	64.84
	Reform	Mel Fisher	7,094	20.57
	New Democratic	Peter Kirby	2,194	6.35
	Progressive Conservative	George Hainsworth	2,062	6.00
	National	Harold Rowe	698	0.02
	Not affiliated	April I. McCormick	284	0.01
Turnout			34,559	–

1988 Canadian federal election: Kenora—Rainy River
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Bob Nault	13,313	38.28
	New Democratic	John Perry	12,102	34.79
	Progressive Conservative	Dick Motlong	7,496	21.55
	Christian Heritage	Ed Carlson	1,477	4.25
Turnout			34,782	–

External links

• Bob Nault – Parliament of Canada biography
• Interview with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
• Robert Nault Profile - The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Macleans Interview - 2013