Bockstael initially attempted to enter national politics in a 16 October 1978 by-election at Manitoba's
Saint Boniface electoral district but was defeated by
Jack Hare of the
Progressive Conservative party. Months later in the
1979 general election, he won the riding from Hare. After re-election in the
1980 federal election, he was defeated in the
1984 federal election by
Léo Duguay of the
Progressive Conservatives and left federal politics after that. Bockstael served in the
31st and
32nd Canadian Parliaments. His nephew, also named
Robert Bockstael, is a noted actor. == Electoral history ==