Parti Québécois wins the by-election in Jean Talon, Quebec

In a surprise move, Parti Québécois (PQ) candidate, lawyer Pascal Paradis, won Monday’s by-election in the Quebec City riding of Jean-Talon, taking the seat from the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).

Before Monday a PQ candidate had never been elected in Jean-Talon. The riding was considered a Liberal stronghold for years, taking the riding from 1965 to 2019.

Paradis took an early lead. After counting 57 ballot boxes out of 163, he had secured 44% of the vote and a comfortable majority of 4,105 votes. PQ supporters were exuberant, while at the CAQ headquarters, the ministers who were present looked stunned.

The PQ had not won a by-election since December 2016. Almost completely wiped off the map, the party had only three deputies in the National Assembly before Monday.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s party campaigned in Jean-Talon on the theme of the CAQ’s broken promises, in particular the abandonment of the flagship commitment to build a third highway link between Quebec and Lévis.

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Shortly after 9 p.m., accompanied by his victorious candidate, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon took the floor, declaring that the CAQ, which had lacked “transparency” in several files, had received a “well-deserved warning.”

There were a total of 10 candidates in Monday’s race.

Paradis faced Marie-Anik Shoiry of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), Olivier Bolduc of Québec Solidaire (QS), Élise Avard Bernier of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) and Jesse Robitaille of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ).

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The head of Climat Québec, former PQ minister Martine Ouellet, also appeared on the ballot.

Congratulating Paradis’ victory, Legault took the blame for his party’s defeat, saying he is committed to better responding to the priorities of the people.

One in five voters had voted in advance and at 4 p.m. Monday, the participation rate reached 39.11%. At the end of the evening, the total number of voters hit 57.4%, up from 49.2% for the last by-election in Jean-Talon in 2019.

Jean-Talon mainly includes the neighbourhoods of Sainte-Foy and Sillery. Nearly 93% of the people who live there speak French at home; the average age is 42.6 years old and the average household income is $133,000.

The win gives the PQ its 4th seat in the National Assembly.

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The Liberals finished well behind in fourth place.

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