Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles

Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles is a federal electoral district in the northern part of Quebec City, within the Capitale-Nationale region. The riding encompasses the borough of Charlesbourg and the eastern portion of the La Haute-Saint-Charles borough, including the communities of Saint-Émile and Lac-Saint-Charles. It extends northward to take in Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier and the resort municipality of Lac-Beauport.

Candidates

Anne-Marie Day (NDP) — Day was the former president of the Regroupement des groupes de femmes de la région de la Capitale-Nationale, an umbrella organization for women’s groups in the Quebec City region. She brought a background in community advocacy and women’s issues to her candidacy as part of the NDP’s 2011 Quebec campaign.

Daniel Petit (Conservative) — Born in Belgium in 1948, Petit was a lawyer who graduated from Université Laval and was called to the Quebec bar in 1973. He founded the firm Petit, Beaudoin and specialized in labour and administrative law. First elected in the 2006 federal election, when he narrowly defeated Bloc Québécois incumbent Richard Marceau by fewer than 1,400 votes, Petit was re-elected in 2008 and was seeking a third term as the Conservative incumbent.

Félix Grenier (Bloc Québécois) — Grenier was the Bloc Québécois candidate in the riding, campaigning on regional issues and Quebec sovereignty.

Martine Gaudreault (Liberal) — Gaudreault was the Liberal Party candidate in Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles for the 2011 election.

Simon Verret ran for the Green Party and Simon Cormier for the Christian Heritage Party.

About the Riding

Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles covers a broad swath of Quebec City’s northern districts, ranging from established suburban neighbourhoods to semi-rural communities at the edge of the Laurentian foothills. The borough of Charlesbourg, with a population of approximately 80,000, was once a centre of dairy farming and poultry raising before evolving into a primarily residential district after its amalgamation into Quebec City in 2002. The riding’s northern reaches include Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, home to Canadian Forces Base Valcartier — one of the largest military installations in Canada and a major employer in the region. CFB Valcartier is the home base of the 5th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group and the 2nd Canadian Division. Lac-Beauport is a four-season resort community popular with outdoor enthusiasts. The riding’s proximity to the military base made defence spending and support for military families significant local issues. Other federal concerns heading into 2011 included infrastructure investment in the growing suburban districts, health care transfers, and the future of federal employment in the national capital region.