Châteauguay—Saint-Constant

Châteauguay—Saint-Constant is a federal electoral district on Montreal’s South Shore, in the Montérégie region of Quebec. The riding encompasses the cities of Châteauguay, Saint-Constant, Sainte-Catherine, Delson, and Léry, situated along the south bank of the St. Lawrence River and connected to the Island of Montreal by the Honoré Mercier Bridge. The Mohawk community of Kahnawake borders the riding.

Candidates

Sylvain Chicoine (NDP) — Born in 1970, Chicoine held a diploma in police technology from Collège de Maisonneuve and worked as a special constable at the Université de Montréal before entering politics. He ran as the NDP candidate in Châteauguay—Saint-Constant as part of the party’s 2011 Quebec campaign.

Carole Freeman (Bloc Québécois) — A lawyer by profession, Freeman had represented the riding since her first election in 2006 and was re-elected in 2008. During her time in Parliament she served as the Bloc’s critic for seniors and was active on issues concerning the well-being and security of older Quebecers. She also engaged in community relations work with the neighbouring Kahnawake Mohawk community.

André Turcôt (Conservative) — Turcôt was the Conservative Party candidate in the riding for the 2011 election.

Linda Schwey (Liberal) — Schwey was the Liberal Party candidate in Châteauguay—Saint-Constant for the 2011 election.

Clara Kwan ran for the Green Party and Linda Sullivan for the Marxist-Leninist Party.

About the Riding

Châteauguay—Saint-Constant had a population of approximately 107,000 as of 2006. Châteauguay, the riding’s largest municipality with a population of roughly 46,000 in 2011, is a bilingual community where approximately 60 per cent of residents reported French as their mother tongue and about 27 per cent reported English. The city developed rapidly after the construction of the Honoré Mercier Bridge in 1934 and the Champlain Bridge in 1962, which linked the South Shore to Montreal and spurred suburban growth. Saint-Constant, Delson, and Sainte-Catherine are residential communities that grew substantially in the latter half of the twentieth century as part of Montreal’s expanding commuter belt. The riding’s economy is primarily service- and retail-oriented, with many residents commuting to Montreal for employment. The proximity of the Kahnawake Mohawk territory — which borders Châteauguay to the northeast and is home to approximately 8,000 residents — has historically shaped local politics, particularly since the 1990 Oka Crisis and its aftermath. Federal issues of concern heading into 2011 included transportation infrastructure for South Shore commuters, seniors’ benefits, and the ongoing federal-Indigenous relationship.