Parti Québécois captures Jean-Talon riding in Quebec byelection, adds fourth seat

QUEBEC — The Parti Québécois has won the hotly contested byelection in the Quebec City riding of Jean-Talon.

QUEBEC — The Parti Québécois has won the hotly contested byelection in the Quebec City riding of Jean-Talon.

The sovereigntist party will add a fourth member to its team at the provincial legislature in the process, capturing a riding held by the governing Coalition Avenir Québec.

Pascal Paradis of the PQ was ahead by more than 2,300 votes over Coalition candidate Marie-Anik Shoiry with just under half of the polls reporting.

The PQ has never won the riding, a former stronghold for the Quebec Liberal party, which held it for 54 years before the Coalition party won a byelection in 2019.

The PQ has seen a reversal in its fortunes in recent months, polling second to the Coalition Avenir Québec provincewide.

With the loss, the Coalition Avenir Québec has 89 seats in the 125-seat legislature, followed by the Liberals at 19, Québec solidaire with 12 and the PQ with four, along with one Independent member.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2023. 

The Canadian Press