Lévis—Lotbinière

Stretching along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River southwest of Quebec City, Lévis—Lotbinière takes in the western suburbs of the city of Lévis and the largely rural Regional County Municipality of Lotbinière. The riding runs from the former cities of Saint-Nicolas and Charny through Saint-Jean-Chrysostome and southward into farming country around Sainte-Agathe-de-Lotbinière and Saint-Sylvestre, covering a landscape that shifts from suburban to deeply agricultural.

Candidates

Jacques Gourde (Conservative) — A hay producer and exporter from Saint-Narcisse-de-Beaurivage, Gourde held a diploma in farming management. First elected in 2006 in the predecessor riding of Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and had been re-elected in 2008 and 2011 before seeking a fourth term in this renamed riding.

Claude Boucher (Liberal) — Boucher ran as the Liberal standard-bearer in a riding where the party had traditionally struggled against Conservative strength on Quebec City's south shore.

Hélène Bilodeau (NDP) — Bilodeau carried the NDP banner in a region where the party's 2011 surge had made it competitive, though the party faced headwinds across Quebec heading into the 2015 campaign.

Steve Gagné (Bloc Québécois) — Gagné represented the Bloc Québécois in a riding the party once held before Gourde's initial Conservative victory in 2006.

Tina Biello (Green Party) — Biello ran for the Green Party, focusing on environmental sustainability in a riding with significant agricultural activity.

About the Riding

The Chaudière-Appalaches region that dominates this riding is one of Quebec's most productive agricultural zones, with dairy farming, maple syrup production, and cash crops forming the economic backbone of Lotbinière county. The suburban portions near Lévis have experienced steady residential growth as commuters settle on Quebec City's more affordable south shore. Place names such as Saint-Patrice-de-Beaurivage and roads like Craig and Gosford reflect the riding's nineteenth-century Irish immigration heritage. Federal issues during the 2011–2015 period centred on agricultural trade policy, particularly supply management protections for dairy and poultry producers, as well as infrastructure investment for rural broadband and highway maintenance. The Davie Shipyard in neighbouring Lévis was also a matter of regional interest, as its future contracts had implications for employment across the south shore.