Why this new riding in eastern Quebec could see political lines blur

Susan Campbell · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 26, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

There's a brisk upwind disconnected the h2o connected the dock successful Trois-Pistoles, Que., and it carries with it the scent of the seaweed that covers the shoreline rocks nearby.

Claudine Michaud and her canine Stella are taking their regular stroll. When asked astir the national predetermination campaign, Michaud heaves a large suspiration and shakes her head.

"It's analyzable and it's hard to choose, due to the fact that the promises are beauteous overmuch each the aforesaid thing."

Michaud is simply a Bloc Québécois loyalist. But she's been feeling the pinch of rising prices successful the Bas-Saint-Laurent portion of Quebec.

"I worked my full life. I worked hard. I person a pension but it's minimal. I person to scrape to get by."

Michaud says there's nary question astir whether she'll vote. Her lone uncertainty is who she'll ballot for.

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas introduces himself arsenic the Bloc Québécois campaigner successful the riding of Rimouski-La Neigette-Les Basques.

That's the sanction of the riding helium was archetypal elected to successful 2019. But since then, a redrawing of the national electoral representation successful eastbound Quebec led to 2 much determination region municipalities (MRCs) being added to the riding, present known arsenic Rimouski-La Matapédia.

It encompasses an country of 11,000 quadrate kilometres eastward on the St. Lawrence River and inland to the Matapédia.

Blanchette-Joncas says Quebec's regions are losing governmental clout successful Ottawa.

"There utilized to beryllium 7 MPs from eastbound Quebec. Now we're 3 covering the portion from Montmagny to Gaspé."

Defending Quebec's interests

Asked whether the Bloc Québécois truly has immoderate power successful Ottawa, arsenic eternal opposition, Blanchette-Joncas is speedy to retort that Liberal MPs from Quebec aren't successful a presumption to support Quebecers.

"They'll beryllium 30, possibly 40 successful Parliament," Blanchette-Joncas says. "Do you deliberation the 80 from Ontario are going to marque immoderate abstraction for the Quebecers astatine the array retired of the goodness of their hearts?"

Blanchette-Joncas says the Bloc understands Quebecers' concerns astir Ottawa imposing conditions connected backing for immigration, lodging and wellness attraction and their worries for their forestry and dairy industries successful the look of tariffs.

"Why would Canada cognize amended than Quebec astir what's champion for us?" Blanchette-Joncas asks.

No longer a sacrificial Liberal lamb

Alexander Reford, who is the Liberal campaigner successful the riding, jokes that he's the astir assimilated anglophone eastbound of Kamouraska.

He was the longtime enforcement manager of the English assemblage radical Heritage Lower St. Lawrence. He precocious stepped down arsenic the caput of Reford Gardens, a horticultural and taste hub successful Métis Beach.

"A person of mine, Mark Carney, threw his chapeau into the governmental game," Reford says. "And different friend, David Lametti, who was a curate successful the Trudeau government, said 'you know, the clip is present oregon ne'er to assistance retired your country.'"

Reford says if he'd tally arsenic a Liberal 8 years ago, helium would person been a sacrificial lamb. The past clip a Liberal was elected successful the riding was successful the 80s. But helium feels similar the upwind has changed and believes adjacent his being an anglophone doesn't matter.

He says radical are telling him they're disquieted astir their farms and their businesses and they're looking for a person successful the mediate of the upset with the U.S.

Reford doesn't judge Trump is equipped to outwit Carney, who he's known since they some studied astatine Oxford a fewer years apart.

"I don't deliberation helium plays chess. But [Carney] surely does. And I deliberation he's done a masterful occupation of playing his pieces effectively."

A strategical vote

Éric Labbé and Lorie Normandin are sitting successful a café successful Rimouski. Normandin holds their three-week-old girl successful her arms. They've moved backmost to adjacent Saint-Simon, aft surviving successful Quebec City and Montreal.

Labbé knows what helium wants successful a leader.

"Someone who is arrogant to beryllium Canadian. Someone who thinks astir the environment, education."

Labbé says they usually ballot NDP, but due to the fact that the enactment isn't contiguous successful this campaign, this time, they'll beryllium voting red.

Normandin says the Liberal Party doesn't align 100 per cent with her values. She would usually see the Bloc, but she says this ballot is excessively important.

"[Conservative Leader Pierre] Poilievre doesn't correspond maine oregon what I privation for my daughters," Normandin says. "I don't privation the ballot to split. I privation to marque definite it's not them that get in."

Room for surprises

Jean-François Fortin is simply a governmental subject prof astatine the CÉGEP de Rimouski and the erstwhile Bloc MP for the aged riding — which was considered a harmless spot for the enactment until the NDP took it successful 2011.

Fortin is puzzled by the NDP not making much of an effort successful a riding wherever Guy Caron, erstwhile NDP MP and the existent politician of Rimouski, won 2 mandates.

He says without them successful the mix, and the planetary context, this contention has go a small much unpredictable.

"We person candidates for the Liberals and the Bloc who could win. Every ballot counts."