Laval—Les Îles

Covering the western reaches of the city of Laval on Île Jésus, Laval—Les Îles takes in the neighbourhoods of Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest, Laval-sur-le-Lac, Îles-Laval, the western portion of Fabreville, and the western section of Chomedey. The riding sits across the Rivière des Prairies from the Island of Montreal and is connected to the north shore by bridges spanning the Rivière des Mille Îles.

Candidates

Fayçal El-Khoury (Liberal) — A civil engineer by training, El-Khoury earned his degree from Concordia University and founded a construction company shortly after graduating. He immigrated to Canada from Lebanon in 1976 and later worked as a consultant helping Canadian businesses build trade relationships in the Middle East.

François Pilon (NDP) — The riding’s incumbent, Pilon was elected in the 2011 NDP wave and had represented the riding for one term. He sought re-election in a political climate that had shifted significantly since his first victory.

Roland Dick (Conservative) — An architect and longtime community activist in Laval, Dick held a degree from the Université de Montréal and served as North American regional vice-president of the World Lebanese Cultural Union. He was also involved with Bonheur du ciel, a project providing meals to homeless residents. He received endorsements from several Laval city councillors.

Nancy Redhead (Bloc Québécois) — Redhead carried the Bloc Québécois banner in a riding where the party had historically drawn support from francophone voters in the western Laval suburbs.

Faiza R’Guiba-Kalogerakis (Green Party) — R’Guiba-Kalogerakis represented the Green Party in this diverse suburban riding.

About the Riding

Laval—Les Îles reflects the broader transformation of Laval from a collection of quiet suburban villages into one of Quebec’s most diverse and fast-growing cities. The western neighbourhoods of Chomedey and Sainte-Dorothée attracted waves of immigrants from Lebanon, North Africa, and other parts of the Middle East, giving the riding a multicultural character unusual for a Quebec suburb. With a population exceeding 111,000, the riding’s residents rely heavily on automobile commuting to reach workplaces across the metropolitan region, making highway congestion on the A-13 and A-440 a daily frustration. Public transit improvements, including discussions about extending rapid transit service into western Laval, were a recurring campaign theme. The local economy combined retail and commercial activity along the A-440 corridor with residential construction fuelled by population growth. Health care access, immigration settlement services, and infrastructure investment to keep pace with the riding’s rapid development were key issues in the 2015 campaign.