 He was defeated in 1881, now running as a Liberal but, after his opponent was unseated because he was accused of bribery, won the seat in an 1884 by-election; he was reelected in 1886.Turcotte condemned the actions of the federal government during the Northwest Rebellion, was part of the campaign in Quebec to save Louis Riel and supported autonomy for the Métis people.In 1884, after "La Concorde" ceased publication, he helped establish a new newspaper, "La Sentinelle".