La Prairie

Located on Montreal's south shore, La Prairie brings together the suburban municipalities of Candiac, Delson, La Prairie, Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Constant, Saint-Mathieu, and Saint-Philippe, along with the Kahnawake Mohawk reserve. First contested in 2015, the riding occupies the heart of the Montérégie region's commuter belt, with residents crossing the St. Lawrence daily to reach workplaces in Montreal.

Candidates

Alain Therrien (Bloc Québécois) — A former member of Quebec's National Assembly who represented Sanguinet for the Parti Québécois from 2012 to 2018, Therrien was confirmed as the Bloc candidate in August 2019. He held a background in political science and had been active in sovereigntist politics for decades before making the jump to federal politics.

Jean-Claude Poissant (Liberal) — The incumbent MP, Poissant was a fourth-generation dairy and grain farmer from Saint-Philippe who had won the riding in its inaugural 2015 contest. During his term, he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, a role that aligned with the riding's significant agricultural sector.

Isabelle Lapointe (Conservative) — A resident of La Prairie since 2014 and mother of three, Lapointe had spent roughly a decade working on Parliament Hill, including a stint as director of parliamentary affairs for MP Sylvie Boucher. This was her first run as a candidate.

Victoria Hernandez (NDP) — Hernandez ran for the NDP on a platform emphasizing environmental protection and civil rights.

Barbara Joannette (Green Party) — Joannette represented the Green Party in this south-shore riding.

Gregory Yablunovsky (People's Party) and Normand Chouinard (ML) also stood for election.

About the Riding

Close to 84 percent of residents identify French as their mother tongue, making La Prairie one of the most solidly francophone ridings in the greater Montreal area. Rapid residential construction in Candiac and Saint-Constant throughout the 2000s and 2010s converted stretches of former agricultural land into new subdivisions, fuelling population growth but also raising questions about urban sprawl onto productive farmland. Dairy farming remains a pillar of the local economy in Saint-Philippe and outlying areas, and supply management for dairy and poultry producers was a persistent campaign issue. Highway congestion on the A-15 and A-30 corridors and the reliability of commuter rail service across the river were daily frustrations for the riding's many commuters. Infrastructure investment, affordable housing amid suburban growth, and the recently opened Samuel De Champlain Bridge were prominent local concerns heading into October 2019.