Berthier—Maskinongé

Berthier—Maskinongé extends along the north bank of the Saint Lawrence River between the northern suburbs of Montreal and the city of Trois-Rivières, straddling the Quebec administrative regions of Lanaudière and Mauricie. The riding encompasses the regional county municipalities of D'Autray and Maskinongé, as well as the former municipalities of Pointe-du-Lac and Trois-Rivières-Ouest now amalgamated into the city of Trois-Rivières. Principal communities include Berthierville, Louiseville, and Sainte-Geneviève-de-Berthier. The southern portion of the riding is characterized by flat, fertile agricultural land along the Saint Lawrence, while the northern sections become increasingly forested and hilly. The population of approximately 109,000 is almost entirely francophone.

Candidates

Yves Perron (Bloc Québécois) — A longtime Quebec sovereignty activist who served as president of the Bloc Québécois, Perron holds a bachelor's degree in economic sciences with a minor in communication and political science. He spent twenty-five years as a teacher, combining instruction in economics, history, and geography with cultural projects and youth humanitarian trips abroad. First elected in 2019, he served as the Bloc's spokesperson on agriculture, agrifood, and supply management.

Ruth Ellen Brosseau (NDP) — Originally from Ottawa and raised in Hudson, Quebec, and Kingston, Ontario, Brosseau was famously elected as a paper candidate in the 2011 NDP wave in Quebec—she had never visited the riding and was vacationing in Las Vegas during the campaign. Despite initial skepticism, she learned French, married a local farmer, and earned praise for her diligent constituency work. She served as NDP House Leader and Agriculture Critic, winning re-election in 2015 before losing the seat to Perron in 2019.

Alexandre Bellemare (Liberal) — Born and raised in Trois-Rivières and residing in Montreal, Bellemare is a lawyer at the Administrative Tribunal of Quebec's Energy Regulatory Agency, specializing in administrative law and economic regulation of energy. He holds memberships in three professional orders—the Quebec Bar, CPA Quebec, and the Ordre des Administrateurs agréés du Québec.

Léo Soulières (Conservative) — A native of Sainte-Geneviève-de-Berthier who still lives on the family farm, Soulières had a career as a union representative, president, and negotiator. He was completing his third term as a municipal councillor and had served as president of the Conservative Party Association of Berthier—Maskinongé since 2019.

About the Riding

Berthier—Maskinongé is a riding where agriculture and rural life define the political conversation. The flatlands along the Saint Lawrence are devoted to dairy farming, grain crops, and market gardening, while the Maskinongé region to the north contributes forestry and a significant manufacturing sector—roughly 30% of jobs in the MRC of Maskinongé are in manufacturing.

The riding gained national attention in 2011 when Ruth Ellen Brosseau's improbable election became one of the signature stories of the NDP's orange wave in Quebec. Her subsequent transformation from paper candidate to respected parliamentarian illustrated the volatility of Quebec federal politics and the riding's willingness to give unconventional candidates a chance. The 2021 contest was one of the closest in the country—a rematch between Perron and Brosseau that was decided by fewer than a thousand votes.

The islands of the Saint Lawrence archipelago near Berthierville and the wetlands around Lac Saint-Pierre define the riding's southern landscape. Berthierville is also notable as the hometown of racing legend Gilles Villeneuve, whose museum draws visitors to the area. The riding's blend of agricultural tradition, manufacturing employment, and proximity to both the Montreal and Trois-Rivières urban centres creates a diverse electorate whose loyalties have shifted among the Bloc, NDP, and other parties over the past decade.