Saint-Maurice—Champlain

Saint-Maurice—Champlain follows the Saint-Maurice River northward through Quebec's Mauricie region, from the outskirts of Trois-Rivieres into the Laurentian highlands. The riding takes in the city of Shawinigan, the regional county municipalities of Les Chenaux and Mekinac, and the vast territory of La Tuque — extending deep into the boreal forest. The southern agricultural parishes along the St. Lawrence contrast sharply with the sparsely populated northern interior.

Candidates

Francois-Philippe Champagne (Liberal) — Born in 1970, Champagne holds a bachelor of laws from the Universite de Montreal and a master of laws from Case Western Reserve University. Before entering politics, he spent over twenty years as a lawyer and international trade specialist at major European firms, serving as vice-president and senior counsel of ABB Group in Zurich and in senior roles at Amec Foster Wheeler in London. Named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, he was first elected in 2015 and subsequently served as Minister of International Trade and Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.

Nicole Morin (Bloc Quebecois) — Trained in international commerce, management, and languages, Morin stepped in as the Bloc's candidate after the initial nominee withdrew. A former Parti Quebecois provincial candidate in Maskinonge, she was active in environmental causes including the protection of riverbanks and wetlands.

Bruno-Pier Courchesne (Conservative) — A wealth management advisor, Courchesne studied international commerce and finance at Kennesaw State University near Atlanta and at Concordia University, graduating in 2017. A resident of the Mauricie region since childhood, he was also involved in local hockey organizations.

Barthelemy Boisguerin (NDP), Stephanie Dufresne (Green Party), and Julie Deziel (People's Party) also ran in the riding.

About the Riding

Shawinigan, the riding's principal population centre with roughly 50,000 residents, built its identity on the hydroelectric power generated by the Saint-Maurice River's waterfalls. In the early twentieth century, the city attracted aluminum smelters, chemical plants, and pulp and paper mills, earning the moniker "City of Electricity." The Cite de l'energie, an interactive museum and science centre devoted to the history of energy and industry, preserves this heritage. Shawinigan is also the hometown of former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, whose political career brought sustained federal attention to the Mauricie region.

The northern half of the riding, centred on La Tuque — Quebec's largest municipality by area — is defined by forestry and the boreal landscape. The Saint-Maurice River corridor connects Shawinigan to La Tuque through forests managed for lumber, pulp, and biomass production. The Atikamekw First Nation community of Wemotaci is situated within the riding's northern territory. Health care access was a pressing concern across the constituency, as vast distances between communities meant residents of Mekinac and La Tuque often travelled long distances for specialist care. The riding's traditional industrial base had contracted with the closure of facilities like the Belgo pulp and paper plant, and economic diversification toward tourism, small manufacturing, and the service sector remained a work in progress.