Shefford

One of only four federal ridings that has existed continuously since Confederation in 1867, Shefford spans the transitional zone between the Montérégie and Estrie regions of southern Quebec. Its territory takes in the central and eastern portions of the Rouville regional county municipality, all of La Haute-Yamaska except Bromont, and the southwestern corner of Le Val-Saint-François.

Candidates

Pierre Breton (Liberal) — Breton held a business administration degree from the Université du Québec à Montréal and had worked for several corporations, including Bombardier and Viasystems Canada. From 2003 until his entry into federal politics, he served in the human resources department of the Société des alcools du Québec. He had also sat on Granby's city council beginning in 2005. His political involvement traced back to volunteer work on campaigns for Jean Lapierre, who had represented Shefford as a Liberal from 1979 to 1993.

Claire Mailhot (NDP) — Mailhot lived in Bromont and had worked for several years at the Centre local de développement de la Haute-Yamaska, a local economic development agency. She campaigned as the standard-bearer for outgoing NDP member Réjean Genest, the first New Democrat ever elected in Shefford.

Jocelyn Beaudoin (Bloc Québécois) — Beaudoin represented the Bloc in its effort to reclaim a riding the party had held before the 2011 NDP wave.

Sylvie Fontaine (Conservative) — Fontaine carried the Conservative banner in a riding where the party had traditionally finished in the lower tier.

About the Riding

Granby, the riding's largest city, is best known as the home of the Zoo de Granby, one of the largest zoological gardens in eastern Canada. Beyond tourism, the region's economy rests on a mix of light manufacturing, agri-food processing, and the service sector. Waterloo and Valcourt — the latter the birthplace of Bombardier Recreational Products — contribute to the riding's industrial character. The surrounding countryside is marked by dairy farms and orchards, with Rougemont and Saint-Paul-d'Abbotsford known for apple production. Over 95 percent of residents are francophone. The NDP had taken the seat for the first time in 2011 under Réjean Genest, but in 2015 the Liberals were surging across southern Quebec, and Shefford was among the seats where a shift from orange to red appeared likely.