Advance voting begins for Terrebonne by-election
Posted March 9, 2025 12:10 pm.
Last Updated March 9, 2025 5:23 pm.
Advance voting in Terrebonne begins this Sunday and will continue on Monday.
Election Québec indicates that polling stations are open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. during these two voting days. Additional voting days are also planned at the returning officer’s office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
The election manager specifies that votes will also take place in long-term care centres (CHSLDs), private seniors’ residences, hospitals, rehabilitation centres, palliative care homes and addiction resources. Voters who are unable to travel for health reasons will be able to vote at home.
The vote was called following the resignation of former “super minister” Pierre Fitzgibbon last December. The vote will take place on Monday, March 17 in the constituency of 61,400 voters.
“It’s an interesting time with everything going on south of the border,” said Karim Boulos, political analyst. “We’ve seen this new rise in federalism and national pride in Canada with what Mr. Trump is doing. So, we haven’t heard too much about Quebec patriotism and Quebec nationalism that much these days. So, it’s hard to say that the PQ has lost steam, but we do know that the Liberals do not have a leader yet. We do know that Mr. Legault is floundering in the polls at best, and Mr. Fitzgibbon was one of his major, major first front-running star candidates. So, without him and without some of the strong names beside him, the CAQ is going to be a little bit weaker.”
Nine candidates have been authorized. The Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), which won the last election with 49.44 per cent of the vote, is running Alex Gagné. Catherine Gentilcore will represent the Parti québécois (PQ), Virginie Bouchard will carry the Liberal colours while Nadia Poirier is running for Québec solidaire. The Conservative banner will be carried by Ange Claude Bigilimana.
Candidates from smaller parties are also running. They include Benoit Beauchamp of Climat Québec, Eric Bernier of the Union Nationale, Shawn Lalande McLean of the Parti Accès Propriété et équité, and Jean-Louis Thémis of the Parti culinaire du Québec.
Like Jean-Talon in 2023, the by-election in Terrebonne could have major repercussions in the National Assembly. Between 1976 and 2018, Terrebonne was always PQ, except for a brief interlude from 2007 to 2008, when the riding was represented by Mario Dumont’s Action démocratique du Québec. But the government’s support is crumbling in the riding on Montreal’s North Shore to the benefit of the PQ. Despite the two-way race that is emerging, the Liberals, the Solidaires and the Conservatives intend to make themselves heard in this race.
“So the question is, will the PQ be able to show a monumental gain? You know, by-elections are usually protest votes,” said Boulos. “People who are not very happy with Mr. Legault will send a message. So with the rise of the PQ, with the discontent of Mr. Legault, we should see a very strong PQ majority. If we don’t, it’ll be very telling about what might come in the next general election.”
“So really, it’s a two-horse race. And given the certain circumstances with Mr. Legault, I think this is clearly a PQ opportunity. Now, if it doesn’t come out with a strong PQ win, that, if I was Mr. St. Pierre-Plamondon, I’d be very nervous if we don’t win with a big majority.”
According to Quebec’s polling aggregator website, QC125, Parti Quebecois’ candidate Catherine Gentilcore is favoured to win with 32 per cent of voting intentions compared to the CAQ’s current 21 per cent.
“It’s a very interesting by-election for the PQ because they rose with a meteoric rise under Mr. Saint-Pierre-Plamondon, and they saw that everybody and their uncle wanted to vote PQ in recent polls, but that has dampened a little bit,” said Boulos. “People are now, you know, what have you done for me lately? We’re not hearing anything new from the PQ. So it’s a bit of a test.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
