Marc-Aurèle-Fortin

Marc-Aurèle-Fortin covers the north-central portion of the city of Laval, taking in the neighbourhoods of Auteuil, Sainte-Rose, the eastern part of Fabreville, and the western part of Vimont. The riding is bounded to the north by the Rivière des Mille Îles, which separates Laval from the mainland municipalities of the Laurentides and Lanaudière regions.

Candidates

Alain Giguère (NDP) — A tax lawyer born in 1958, Giguère held degrees in political science and legal science as well as a certificate in social justice. He was one of the most persistent candidates in Canadian federal politics, having run in seven previous elections spanning nearly three decades — in Verdun—Saint-Paul (1984), Roberval (1993, 1997, 2000), Laval (2004, 2008), and Laval—Les Îles (2006) — as well as provincially for the NDP of Quebec in Saint-Henri in 1985.

Marie-France Charbonneau (Bloc Québécois) — Charbonneau ran as the Bloc Québécois candidate in Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, seeking to succeed retiring three-term Bloc incumbent Serge Ménard.

Eduardo Gonzalo Agurto Catalán (Liberal) — Agurto Catalán carried the Liberal banner in the riding.

Johanne Théorêt (Conservative) — Théorêt ran as the Conservative candidate.

Charles Sicotte ran for the Green Party.

About the Riding

Marc-Aurèle-Fortin was created in the 2003 redistribution, drawing territory from parts of the former ridings of Laval-Centre, Terrebonne—Blainville, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, and Laval-Est. Named for the celebrated Quebec landscape painter Marc-Aurèle Fortin (1888-1970), who was born in the Sainte-Rose area, the riding had been held by the Bloc Québécois since its creation. Serge Ménard, a former Quebec provincial minister of Justice and Public Safety who had served in the Parti Québécois government, won the seat in 2004, 2006, and 2008 before announcing his retirement from politics in March 2011.

The riding was a mix of established suburban neighbourhoods and newer residential developments. Sainte-Rose, one of the 14 original municipalities that merged to form the city of Laval in 1965, retained a distinct village character around its historic core along the Rivière des Mille Îles. Auteuil was a quieter, largely residential neighbourhood with commercial activity concentrated along the Boulevard des Laurentides. The eastern part of Fabreville and western Vimont added to the riding's suburban fabric.

With a population of roughly 102,000, the riding was predominantly francophone, with about two-thirds of residents listing French as their mother tongue. Roughly 22 percent of residents were immigrants, with significant communities from Haiti, Morocco, and Lebanon. Laval's economy was anchored by manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and a growing technology sector, though many residents in this riding commuted to Montreal or to employment centres elsewhere in Laval. The Boulevard des Laurentides and nearby Autoroute 19 served as the riding's main commercial and transportation corridors.