Repentigny

Repentigny is an off-island suburban riding located northeast of Montreal in the Lanaudière region. Centred on the city of Repentigny, which sits on a quasi-peninsula formed by the Rivière L'Assomption and the St. Lawrence River, the riding also includes the former city of Le Gardeur, which merged with Repentigny in 2002. The riding extends along the north shore of the St. Lawrence, with a chain of islands fronting its shoreline.

Candidates

Jean-François Larose (NDP) — Larose held certificates from the Université de Montréal in crisis management, violence and society, and police and security management. He had worked as a peace officer and security guard before entering politics. He had also run in the 2009 Montreal municipal election. This was his first federal campaign.

Nicolas Dufour (Bloc Québécois) — Dufour had won the Repentigny seat for the Bloc in the 2008 federal election at the age of twenty-one, making him the youngest member of the House of Commons at the time of his election. Born in 1987, he was seeking his second term in the riding.

Chantal Perreault (Liberal), Christophe Royer (Conservative), and Michel Duchaine (Green Party) also contested the riding.

About the Riding

Repentigny is a fast-growing suburban city whose population reached approximately 82,000 by the time of the 2011 census, having expanded significantly following the 2002 merger with Le Gardeur. The riding is overwhelmingly francophone, with roughly eighty-six percent of residents reporting French as their mother tongue. The city functions primarily as a bedroom community for Montreal, with many residents commuting to the island via Autoroute 40 and the Tunnel Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine or Pont Le Gardeur.

The local economy is anchored by the service and retail sectors, though the broader Lanaudière region includes significant industrial employers. General Dynamics Produits de défense et Systèmes tactiques, headquartered in Repentigny, is a major manufacturer of ammunition and energetic materials employing over a thousand workers. The city's commercial corridors along boulevard Brien and the Route 138 serve as the primary retail and services hub for surrounding communities. Federal issues in 2011 included suburban infrastructure investment, commuter transit improvements, support for manufacturing employment, and public safety. The riding had been a Bloc Québécois stronghold since its creation, making the NDP's challenge here a test of the party's ability to break through in francophone suburban Quebec.