Mégantic—L'Érable

Located in south-central Quebec at the junction of the Centre-du-Québec, Chaudière-Appalaches, and Estrie regions, this riding covered approximately 5,900 square kilometres and had a population of about 87,000. Its principal communities were the city of Thetford Mines, the town of Plessisville, and the town of Lac-Mégantic, along with numerous smaller municipalities spread across the regional county municipalities of Les Appalaches, L'Érable, and Le Granit.

Candidates

Christian Paradis (Conservative) — A lawyer from Thetford Mines who held degrees in civil law from the Université de Sherbrooke and corporate law from Université Laval, Paradis was first elected in the 2006 federal election and had risen rapidly through Conservative ranks. He served as Secretary of State for Agriculture beginning in January 2007, was appointed Minister of Public Works and Government Services in June 2008, and became Minister of Natural Resources in January 2010. Heading into the 2011 election, he was one of the highest-profile Conservative cabinet ministers in Quebec and a strong local presence in a riding he had dominated with nearly half the vote in each previous contest.

Cheryl Voisine (NDP) — Voisine ran as the NDP candidate in the riding during the 2011 campaign.

Pierre Turcotte (Bloc Québécois) — Turcotte carried the Bloc banner in the riding against the incumbent Conservative minister.

René Roy (Liberal) — Roy represented the Liberals in a riding where the party had historically struggled against the Conservative incumbent.

Wyatt Tessari ran for the Green Party and Alain Bergeron ran for the Canadian Action Party.

About the Riding

The riding's economic character was defined by its three main communities. Thetford Mines, the largest city, had been known for over a century as a global centre of asbestos mining — once called the "Capitale mondiale de l'amiante." At its peak, seven mines operated in the area employing thousands of workers. By 2011, the industry was in steep decline amid growing international concern over the health hazards of asbestos, though the last mine had not yet formally closed. The city was working to diversify into manufacturing, including industrial equipment, plastics, and metal structures.

Plessisville, the seat of the L'Érable regional county municipality, was renowned as the "Capitale mondiale de l'érable" — the world maple capital. The maple syrup industry was a cornerstone of the local economy, with the Citadelle cooperative headquartered in the town representing some 2,000 producers. Cranberry processing also provided employment in the area.

Lac-Mégantic, nestled on the shores of the lake of the same name near the Maine border, served as the commercial centre for the Le Granit MRC. The broader riding landscape was characterized by rolling agricultural land, forests, and small towns. Key federal issues included the future of the asbestos industry and economic transition for mining communities, support for agriculture and the maple syrup sector, and rural infrastructure investment.