Beauport—Limoilou

Beauport—Limoilou is an urban riding in Quebec City encompassing the boroughs of Beauport and Limoilou, bounded by the St. Lawrence River to the east and the Saint-Charles River to the south. The riding covers about 43 square kilometres with a population density of roughly 2,600 people per square kilometre. Over 92 percent of residents speak French as a mother tongue, and about 8 percent of the population are immigrants, with France and Colombia among the most common countries of origin. The median individual income was approximately $39,600 in 2020.

Candidates

Julie Vignola (Bloc Québécois) was the incumbent, first elected in 2019. Born in Sept-Îles and raised in the mining town of Fermont on the Côte-Nord, she holds a bachelor's degree in teaching history and geography from the Université du Québec à Rimouski. She worked as a teacher of English as a second language and later as an assistant principal before entering politics. In Parliament, she served as the Bloc's critic for public services and procurement, government operations, and tourism.

Alupa Clarke (Conservative) previously represented the riding from 2015 to 2019. Born in Quebec City, he completed a master's degree in political science at Université Laval, writing a thesis on the judicialization of politics. He followed a family tradition of military service as part of the 6th Field Artillery Regiment based in Lévis. He served as the Conservative Shadow Minister for Official Languages and la Francophonie during his time in Parliament.

Ann Gingras (Liberal) served for 22 years as president of the Conseil central de Québec–Chaudière-Appalaches of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), one of Quebec's major labour federations. She had 32 years of experience representing workers in the Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches regions before entering federal politics.

About the Riding

Limoilou, historically a working-class neighbourhood on the north bank of the Saint-Charles River, was undergoing significant transformation heading into the 2021 election. The commercial strip along 3e Avenue had attracted trendy shops and restaurants, drawing more affluent residents and accelerating gentrification. Over 80 percent of Limoilou residents were renters, and median incomes ran roughly $5,000 per year below the Quebec City average, making affordable housing a pressing concern as rents climbed.

Beauport, the riding's eastern half, has a more suburban character, with single-family homes, light manufacturing, and the historic Beauport waterfront. Manufacturers in the area produce paint, construction materials, and hospital supplies. Université Laval operates several medical facilities in the riding, including the Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus, a mental health research facility, and the Loex regenerative medicine research institute.

The 2021 race was one of the tightest in Quebec City, with Vignola winning by fewer than 1,000 votes over Clarke. The contest reflected the riding's political volatility: Beauport—Limoilou has swung between the Bloc, the Conservatives, and the NDP in successive elections. Housing affordability, the environment, and pandemic recovery dominated the campaign, with the riding's mix of younger, urban Limoilou voters and older, suburban Beauport residents pulling in different political directions.