Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière

Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière stretches along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River southwest of Quebec City, encompassing the western portion of the city of Lévis and the rural MRC de Lotbinière. The riding extends from the suburban communities of Saint-Nicolas, Charny, and Saint-Jean-Chrysostome southward and westward through agricultural countryside to the municipality of Lotbinière on the river.

Candidates

Jacques Gourde (Conservative) — A hay producer and exporter from Saint-Narcisse-de-Beaurivage, Gourde held a diploma in farm management and had spent his career in agriculture before entering politics. First elected in 2006 by defeating the Bloc Québécois incumbent, he was re-elected in 2008 and entered the 2011 campaign as the two-term Conservative incumbent. During his time in Parliament, he served as president of the Conservative caucus for the province of Quebec and as parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister, for Official Languages, and for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

Tanya Fredette (NDP) — Fredette ran as the NDP candidate in Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, part of the party's expanded Quebec slate in 2011.

Gaston Gourde (Bloc Québécois) — A Laval University-trained lawyer from Saint-Isidore, Gaston Gourde was a veteran of Quebec politics. He had first been elected to the House of Commons as a Liberal in a 1981 by-election in the riding of Lévis, serving as parliamentary secretary to the Solicitor General before his defeat in 1984. He later served as mayor of Saint-Isidore from 1989 to 2001 and as prefect of the MRC de la Nouvelle-Beauce. By 2011, he was running under the Bloc Québécois banner.

Nicole Larouche ran for the Liberals and Richard Domm for the Green Party.

About the Riding

The riding blended Quebec City's south-shore suburbs with the deeply agricultural Lotbinière countryside. The western sectors of Lévis — including the former municipalities of Saint-Nicolas, Charny, Saint-Jean-Chrysostome, and Saint-Rédempteur, which were merged into Lévis in 2002 — had been transformed from farming communities into residential suburban centres following the opening of the Pierre-Laporte Bridge. Saint-Nicolas retained a presence in agriculture, particularly strawberry and apple cultivation, while also hosting manufacturing and trucking operations.

The MRC de Lotbinière was one of the most productive agricultural areas in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, generating nearly 14 percent of the region's agricultural revenue. Dairy farming, crop production, and livestock operations dominated the rural economy. Communities such as Sainte-Croix, Saint-Agapit, and Sainte-Agathe-de-Lotbinière served as local service centres.

The riding was overwhelmingly francophone. The Chaudière River, which gave the riding part of its name, flowed through the eastern portion before emptying into the St. Lawrence, with its 35-metre falls visible from a suspension bridge in the Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière. The riding had been Conservative since 2006, but the NDP's 2011 surge in Quebec made the contest unexpectedly tight.