Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord

Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord is one of Quebec’s most geographically expansive federal ridings, stretching along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River from the eastern edge of Quebec City to the municipality of Colombier, over 400 kilometres downriver. The riding straddles the Capitale-Nationale and Côte-Nord administrative regions and encompasses the Côte-de-Beaupré, Île d’Orléans, the Charlevoix region, and the Haute-Côte-Nord.

Candidates

Jonathan Tremblay (NDP) — Born in 1984, Tremblay was a bricklayer and mason before entering politics. He ran as part of the NDP’s 2011 Quebec campaign under Jack Layton’s leadership, challenging one of the longest-serving Bloc Québécois incumbents in the province.

Michel Guimond (Bloc Québécois) — Originally from Chicoutimi, Guimond had served as the riding’s MP since 1993, making him one of the original cohort of Bloc Québécois members elected in the party’s first general election. He previously served as a city councillor in Boischatel from 1987 to 1993. During his nearly two decades in Parliament, Guimond served as the Bloc’s chief whip for eight years and was particularly active on employment insurance reform, an issue of great importance in a riding heavily dependent on seasonal industries.

Michel-Eric Castonguay (Conservative) — Castonguay was the Conservative Party candidate in the riding for the 2011 election.

Robert Gauthier (Liberal) — Gauthier was the Liberal Party candidate in the riding for the 2011 election.

François Bédard ran for the Green Party.

About the Riding

The riding’s vast territory encompasses dramatically varied landscapes and communities. The Côte-de-Beaupré, just east of Quebec City, is home to the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, a major pilgrimage site that draws over a million visitors annually, and the Mont-Sainte-Anne ski resort. Île d’Orléans, an island in the St. Lawrence, is celebrated for its agricultural heritage, strawberry farms, and artisanal food producers. The Charlevoix region, recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, is a renowned cultural and tourism destination. Baie-Saint-Paul has the highest concentration of art galleries per capita in Canada and is the birthplace of Cirque du Soleil. La Malbaie and its surrounding communities draw visitors for whale-watching excursions, hiking at the Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie national park, and skiing at Le Massif de Charlevoix. The Haute-Côte-Nord, anchored by Forestville, is far more sparsely populated and dependent on forestry and the pulp-and-paper industry, though this sector had experienced significant employment decline. The riding also includes the Essipit Innu community. Employment insurance policy was a dominant federal issue in the riding heading into 2011, given the prevalence of seasonal work in tourism, forestry, and agriculture.