Terrebonne—Blainville

Terrebonne—Blainville was a suburban riding on Montreal's North Shore, encompassing the rapidly growing cities of Terrebonne and Blainville along with the municipality of Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines. The riding straddled two administrative regions—Terrebonne in Lanaudière and Blainville and Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines in the Laurentides—and sat north of Laval across the Rivière des Mille-Îles.

Candidates

Charmaine Borg (NDP) — Born in 1990 in Oakville, Ontario, Borg was a student at McGill University studying political science and Latin American studies at the time of her candidacy. She also worked as a labour relations officer for the Association of McGill University Support Employees. Fully bilingual in English and French, she was 20 years old and the 2011 election marked the first time she had voted in a federal election.

Diane Bourgeois (Bloc Québécois) — The incumbent MP, Bourgeois was born in 1949 in Montreal and had worked as a French secondary school teacher for approximately thirty years before entering politics. She was first elected in 2000 and had been re-elected in the 2004, 2006, and 2008 general elections. In the House of Commons, she served as the BQ critic for international cooperation, and had previously been critic for the status of women, parental leave, and housing.

Jean-Philippe Payment (Conservative) — Payment ran as the Conservative candidate in Terrebonne—Blainville, his first campaign as a federal candidate.

Robert Frégeau (Liberal) — Frégeau carried the Liberal banner in the riding.

Michel Paulette ran for the Green Party.

About the Riding

Terrebonne and Blainville were among the fastest-growing suburban communities in the greater Montreal area. Terrebonne's population had surged past 100,000 by 2011, having grown dramatically from a small town of fewer than 2,000 at the start of the twentieth century. The city was formed from the 2001 merger of Terrebonne, Lachenaie, and La Plaine. Blainville, with a population approaching 55,000, had experienced similar rapid suburban expansion.

The riding's economy was shaped by its character as a commuter suburb. The majority of residents travelled south to Montreal or Laval for work, though local manufacturing in sectors such as plastics, metal fabrication, and furniture production had grown alongside the residential development. Commercial strips and big-box retail developments served the suburban population, and the riding's newer subdivisions reflected the housing boom that had drawn young families to the North Shore seeking more affordable home ownership than was available on the Island of Montreal.

The population was predominantly francophone, with over 85 percent of residents reporting French as their mother tongue. The riding had been held by the Bloc Québécois since its creation in 1997, and Bourgeois had built a strong local profile over four terms. Federal issues of concern included commuter transportation infrastructure, public safety, and the economic pressures facing young suburban families with mortgages and growing household costs.