Hull—Aylmer

Hull—Aylmer is a federal riding in western Quebec, covering the Hull and Aylmer sectors of the city of Gatineau, directly across the Ottawa River from Canada's capital. The riding encompasses the historic downtown core of Hull, including the Place du Portage federal office complex, and extends westward through the residential communities of Aylmer to the shores of Lac Deschenes. It sits within the broader Outaouais administrative region and is part of the National Capital Region.

Candidates

Nycole Turmel (NDP) — A veteran labour leader, Turmel had served as the national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada from 2000 to 2006, becoming the first woman to hold that position. During her presidency, she helped secure a landmark pay equity settlement for female federal public servants. Before rising to the PSAC presidency, she had served in progressively senior union roles beginning in 1979, including as the alliance's fourth executive vice-president and later its first executive vice-president. After retiring from the union, she served as vice-president of the Ombudsman's office for the City of Gatineau from 2007 to 2011. Her candidacy was announced by NDP leader Jack Layton in February 2011, and this was her first run for elected office.

Marcel Proulx (Liberal) — Born in L'Orignal, Ontario, in 1946, Proulx had worked as an insurance adjuster and businessman before entering politics. First elected in a 1999 by-election, he had represented Hull—Aylmer continuously since then, winning re-election in 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2008. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport and frequently presided as Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole and Acting Speaker. The riding had never been won by a non-Liberal candidate since its creation in 1914, and Proulx was seeking his fifth consecutive term.

Nancy Brassard-Fortin (Conservative) — Brassard-Fortin ran as the Conservative candidate in the riding.

Dino Lemay (Bloc Québécois) — Lemay carried the Bloc banner in Hull—Aylmer.

Roger Fleury (Green Party) — Fleury ran as the Green Party candidate.

About the Riding

Hull—Aylmer is defined by its proximity to Parliament Hill and the federal public service. The Place du Portage complex in downtown Hull houses several major federal departments, and a large share of the riding's workforce commutes across the Ottawa River bridges to federal workplaces in Ottawa. Public-service employment dominates the local economy, supplemented by the service and retail sectors serving the residential communities.

The riding's population is predominantly Francophone, with approximately 66 percent of residents reporting French as their mother tongue and a substantial anglophone minority of about 23 percent, particularly concentrated in the Aylmer sector, which was historically an anglophone community before shifting to a Francophone majority. The riding also has a growing immigrant population, with significant communities from Haiti, France, and North Africa.

The Hull sector includes the Canadian Museum of Civilization (now the Canadian Museum of History), the Casino du Lac-Leamy, and the Jacques Cartier Park along the Ottawa River. Gatineau Park borders the riding to the north. The Rapibus, a bus rapid transit system connecting Gatineau to Hull's downtown core, was under construction heading into the 2011 election.

Key local concerns included the future of federal public-service jobs in the face of anticipated government spending cuts, the legislative protection of Gatineau Park from development, interprovincial transportation and bridge congestion, and the expansion of public transit infrastructure. The riding's identity as a Liberal stronghold since 1914 made it a significant test of whether the NDP's growing support in Quebec could penetrate even the most entrenched federalist constituencies.