Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia

Stretching across eastern Quebec's lower St. Lawrence region, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia runs from the south shore of the St. Lawrence near Matane over the Chic-Choc Mountains to the Baie des Chaleurs and the New Brunswick border. The riding encompasses the regional county municipalities of La Mitis, La Matapédia, and Avignon, as well as the Mi'gmaq communities of Gesgapegiag and Listuguj. With an overwhelmingly francophone population and small anglophone pockets, the riding is a patchwork of fishing villages, farming communities, and forestry towns.

Candidates

Kristina Michaud (Bloc Québécois) — Originally from the Matapédia Valley, Michaud was 26 years old at the time of the election. She studied at Cégep de Rimouski and then earned a bachelor's degree in international studies and modern languages from Université Laval. She entered the race as a first-time candidate and described herself as a feminist and environmentalist.

Rémi Massé (Liberal) — The incumbent, first elected in 2015, Massé had spent 16 years in the federal public service before entering politics. He sought a second term.

Natasha Tremblay (Conservative) — A law student at Université Laval, Tremblay was the Conservative candidate in the riding.

Rémi-Jocelyn Côté (NDP) — Côté represented the NDP.

James Morrison (Green Party) — Morrison ran for the Green Party.

Éric Barnabé (People's Party) and Mathieu Castonguay (Parti Rhinocéros) also stood as candidates.

About the Riding

Matane is the riding's largest commercial centre, home to a diversified economy that includes shrimp and seafood processing, pulp and paper production, and wind energy. The Le Nordais wind farm, one of Canada's first large-scale wind energy projects, straddles the nearby communities of Cap-Chat and Matane, and wind turbine manufacturing operations have since established themselves in the area. The Matapédia Valley sustains forestry operations and is renowned for its Atlantic salmon rivers. Along the Baie des Chaleurs, fishing and tourism drive the economy of communities such as Carleton-sur-Mer. Seasonal employment and the outmigration of young people have been enduring challenges for the region, making job creation and population retention central political issues. The Cégep de Matane, with programs in 3D animation and image synthesis, has established itself as a niche post-secondary draw. Access to health-care services, particularly hospital staffing in smaller communities, and reliable high-speed internet in rural areas were also prominent concerns. The Bloc Québécois held the riding's predecessor constituencies from 1993 to 2015 before Massé's Liberal victory, and the 2019 contest was widely seen as a two-way fight between the Bloc and the Liberals.