PQ's Catherine Gentilcore wrestles Terrebonne riding away from CAQ in byelection win
Riding was PQ stronghold prior to CAQ's election win in 2018
Parti Québécois candidate Catherine Gentilcore won the provincial byelection in Terrebonne in convincing fashion.
Gentilcore's closest opponent, the Coalition Avenir Québec's Alex Gagné, conceded the election not long after the polls closed Monday at 8 p.m. in the riding northeast of Montreal.
Gentilcore racked up 52.74 per cent of the vote. Gagné, for the CAQ, finished with 28.78 per cent of the vote.
At the time, Gentilcore told her supporters she welcomed the victory with pride and humility.
"With pride because the citizens of Terrebonne have regained a free voice in the National Assembly and this time, more motivated than ever to defend their interests, it is the voice of the Parti Québécois," she said.
The PQ's win serves as a blow to the governing CAQ.
Although the party holds only two seats on the island of Montreal, it has dominated the Lanaudière region just north of it since 2018.
On Monday, the atmosphere was electric at Hotel Imperia, where PQ members were celebrating Gentilcore's early lead in the polls. Gentilcore, the party's president, told her cheering supporters that it's "an honour of a lifetime."
She said her campaign focused on the "glaring problems" facing citizens in Terrebonne and the rest of the Lanaudière region. She said voters have mandated her to speak out loud and clear, to fight for all Quebecers who "see clearly that the catastrophic management of the CAQ is not getting us anywhere and that Quebecers deserve better."
PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon welcomed what he described as a "decisive" victory.
"I am proud to say that we achieved this victory by being ourselves," he said.
Voters were tasked with choosing who will replace former economy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon. The former high-profile cabinet minister in François Legault's CAQ quit politics in September 2024.
The Terrebonne riding had been held by Fitzgibbon since the CAQ formed government in 2018, but it had previously been a stronghold of the sovereigntist PQ going back to 1976.
The PQ has been atop the polls in Quebec, and Plamondon has been campaigning hard to reclaim the riding with his candidate and party president, Gentilcore. Her projected win would make her fifth member of the PQ to have a seat in the National Assembly.
Plamondon said he was convinced that Gentilcore would be an excellent MNA for the people of Terrebonne and that "she would never let them down due to a lack of motivation" — a reference to the reason Fitzgibbon gave for leaving politics.
"The message sent by Quebecers can't be more clear, look at the results," Plamondon said. "The loss of confidence in the CAQ is complete. It's time to turn the page."
'Real test' is next year's provincial election, Legault says
Gagné, coming in second in the polls, is president of a Quebec organization fighting for student success.
Legault arrived to address his party faithful after the projected defeat just before 9 p.m. Conceding the election, he told supporters that a byelection is never easy for the governing party.
"It's an opportunity for citizens to say, "I didn't like this or that policy on this or that issue and I will make that known,'" he said.
The provincial election isn't until next year, he added, saying this result doesn't mean anything long term.
"We have taken note, but the real test will be in October 2026," he said.
The ballot includes a total of nine candidates vying to fill the only vacant seat at the 125-seat legislature. The Quebec Liberal Party candidate, Virginie Bouchard, finished third with 8.15 per cent of the vote.
Québec Solidaire's Nadia Poirier finished fourth with 4.55 per cent of the vote.
The race for the empty seat takes place amid trade tensions between Canada and the United States.
The byelection was called when Legault was in Washington D.C. in an attempt to dissuade U.S. President Donald Trump from imposing tariffs on Canadian products.
Written by Isaac Olson, with files from CBC's Annabelle Olivier, Radio-Canada and The Canadian Press