Gaétan Barrette survives the ferocious CAQ wave
CAQ delivers ‘amazing’ performance, while long-held PQ ridings topple
The controversial reforms of Gaétan Barrette may have hurt his party in the polls but the former health care minister appears to have easily won his seat in the South Shore riding of La Pinière.
While Barrette will be returning to the National Assembly, most of the surrounding South Shore ridings have been won by the Coalition Avenir Québec.
As of 11 p.m., Barrette had 47.08 per cent of the vote — down from the 58.29 per cent he won in 2014, when he defeated Fatima HoudaPepin, who ran as an independent after representing the riding as a Liberal between 1994 and 2014.
La Pinière, which includes most of the city of Brossard, has voted Liberal since the riding was created in 1989.
In Taillon, CAQ candidate Lionel Carmant was ahead with 33.86 per cent of the vote, compared to 28.19 for PQ incumbent Diane Lamarre.
“Over the past 10 days, we really saw the mood swing towards us,” Carmant said on Monday night.
The riding in Longueuil has been held by the PQ since 1976, when René Lévesque won it from the Liberals.
Carmant, a neurologist, said care — ensuring early intervention — for children with special needs will be his main focus in the National Assembly.
Carmant said he had not expected to see the CAQ perform as well as it did across the province.
“I thought it would be much closer; it’s amazing, but work starts tomorrow,” Carmant said.
Liberal candidate Mohammed Barhone — who drew criticism for saying the CAQ was proposing an “immigrant cleaning ” — was polling fourth in Taillon with under 17 per cent of the vote behind Manon Blanchard of Québec solidaire.
In La Prairie, Christian Dubé, a former vice-president at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, appeared on track to win the seat.
As of 11 p.m., he had 43.73 per cent of the vote, while Liberal incumbent Richard Merlini had 22.6 per cent. Merlini was at one point a vice-president of the Action démocratique du Québec and was elected as an ADQ MNA in 2007.
In Marie-Victorin, incumbent Catherine Fournier of the PQ was leading with 31.18 per cent, compared to 28.38 per cent for Martyne Prévost of the CAQ and 21.43 per cent for Carl Lévesque of Québec solidaire.
The riding has voted for the PQ since it was created in 1981, with one exception: a Liberal candidate was elected in a 1984 by-election, but the riding returned to the PQ in 1985.
In Montarville, Nathalie Roy of the CAQ looked likely to be reelected, with 41.1 per cent of the vote at 11 p.m. She has represented the riding since it was created in 2012.
In Sanguinet, Danielle McCann of the CAQ appeared to be headed for an easy victory over incumbent Alain Therrien of the PQ. Therrien has represented the riding since it was created, also in 2012.
Around 11 p.m., McCann had 43.5 per cent of the vote and Therrien 24.77 per cent.
In Vachon, CAQ candidate and former Montreal police spokesperson Ian Lafrenière was well ahead with 43.55 per cent of the vote.
Incumbent Martine Ouellet was not running. Replacing her for the PQ was Patrick Ney, who was polling third, with 16.98 per cent of the vote around 10 p.m., behind Liberal Linda Caron, with 21.05 per cent.
In Verchères, Stéphane Bergeron of the PQ was in a tight fight for his seat after winning five straight elections in the riding.
At around 11 p.m., Suzanne Dansereau of the CAQ was leading with 37.91 per cent of the vote, ahead of Bergeron with 35.37 per cent.