Vaudreuil—Soulanges

Vaudreuil—Soulanges is a federal riding in southwestern Quebec, situated at the western tip of the island of Montreal’s commuter belt where the Ottawa River meets the St. Lawrence. The riding encompasses the communities of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Hudson, L’Île-Perrot, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Pincourt, Saint-Lazare, Les Cèdres, and several smaller municipalities within the MRC de Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

Candidates

Jamie Nicholls (NDP) — Born in Montreal and raised in Hudson, Nicholls was a registered landscape architect and was enrolled at McGill University’s School of Urban Planning at the time of the 2011 election. He held a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria and had pursued graduate studies in landscape architecture at the University of British Columbia. Before the campaign, Nicholls had worked as an arts and design teacher, environmental researcher, and ecological intervention adviser. He was one of several NDP candidates in Quebec swept into Parliament on the Orange Wave.

Meili Faille (Bloc Québécois) — The incumbent MP, Faille had held the riding since first winning it in 2004. Born in Montreal, she was of Taiwanese descent through her mother and had been an active Parti Québécois member since 1992. Before entering federal politics, Faille worked as a consultant and project coordinator, and had served as a ministerial editor for special projects and briefing notes for the federal Minister of Employment and Immigration in 1992–93. In Parliament, she served as the Bloc’s shadow critic for Citizenship and Immigration and was vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. She won a third term in 2008 and had defeated future Liberal MP Marc Garneau in the 2006 contest.

Marc Boudreau (Conservative) — Boudreau carried the Conservative banner in the riding. Limited public biographical information was available about him heading into the 2011 campaign.

Lyne Pelchat (Liberal) — Pelchat ran as the Liberal candidate in Vaudreuil—Soulanges. Limited public biographical information was available about her heading into the 2011 campaign.

Jean-Yves Massenet (Green Party) — Massenet ran as the Green Party candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Vaudreuil—Soulanges sits at a strategic crossroads of Quebec’s highway network, served by Autoroutes 20, 30, and 40, as well as both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railway lines. This positioning within the Ontario-Quebec commercial corridor has made the region attractive to logistics and distribution operations. The riding was one of the fastest-growing areas in Quebec in the years before 2011, with population growth rates among the highest in the province, driven by young families seeking affordable housing within commuting distance of Montreal.

Vaudreuil-Dorion is the riding’s largest municipality and serves as its commercial centre. Hudson, on the Ottawa River, is a historically anglophone town with a distinct small-town character. Saint-Lazare, to the north, developed rapidly as a bedroom community with an equestrian tradition. L’Île-Perrot and Pincourt sit on islands in the Lake of Two Mountains and draw many Montreal commuters.

The riding has a significant anglophone minority, making up roughly 17 percent of the population, and is linguistically diverse by Quebec standards. The local economy blends suburban retail and services with industrial parks along the highway corridors. Major employers include distribution centres and light manufacturing operations. Many residents commute to Montreal’s West Island or downtown core for work. Key local concerns heading into 2011 included transportation infrastructure, particularly commuter rail and highway capacity, as well as environmental issues related to the region’s rapid growth and its impact on remaining agricultural land and green spaces.