CAQ rocks decades-old Liberal stronghold
The Eastern Townships have been a Liberal stronghold for decades. But Coalition Avenir Québec and Québec solidaire scored major breakthroughs in Monday’s provincial election.
Going into the campaign, Philippe’s Couillard’s Liberals held all six seats in the Sherbrooke area and nearby ridings.
But with nearly all polls reporting, the Liberals were soundly defeated in all six ridings. CAQ candidates were easily elected in Brome-Missisquoi, Richmond, Mégantic, St-François and Orford ridings.
And Québec solidaire was spoiling for an upset in Sherbrooke where QS candidate Christine Labrie was leading the CAQ’s Bruno Vachon by almost 2,166 voters with 111 of 170 polls reporting. Liberal candidate Luc Fortin was trailing just behind in third place.
The Sherbrooke riding was once held by former Quebec premier Jean Charest from 1998 to 2012.
Elsewhere, Isabelle Charest, the CAQ’s star candidate in Brome-Missisquoi, cruised to victory in her political debut.
Charest, a former Olympic speedskater, garnered 44 per cent of the vote and an 8,426 vote lead over Liberal candidate Ingrid Marini, who picked up about 24 per cent.
CAQ Leader François Legault enlisted Charest to try to break the Liberal hold on a riding that has voted Liberal for the past 37 years. Liberal Pierre Paradis held the riding since 1981.
Former Conservative MP and CAQ candidate André Bachand was elected in Richmond, another Liberal stronghold since 1981. With 205 of 211 polls reporting, Bachand had a lead of 7,944 votes over Liberal Annie Godbout.
In Orford, a Liberal riding since 1973, CAQ candidate Gilles Bélanger defeated Liberal Guy Madore by more than 4,000 votes.
In St-François, the CAQ’s Geneviève Hébert easily defeated Liberal Charles Poulin by more than 3,400 votes.
In Mégantic, CAQ candidate François Jacques also toppled Liberal Robert Roy by more than 5,000 votes.
Isabelle Charest, 47, decided to jump into politics after serving as Chef de Mission for the Canadian Olympic team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
In a recent interview, Charest, winner of three Olympic medals, said her name recognition certainly helped gain the trust of voters thinking of switching their vote to the CAQ.
“It helps in a way because I have more credibility. The (voters) know what it takes to win a medal.”
Charest, a communications coordinator for the Val-des-Cerfs school board, said she hoped anglophones, who make up about 15 per cent of voters in the riding, would give the CAQ a chance instead of voting Liberal.
“The (anglos) didn’t really have a choice before,” she said.