Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine

This vast riding covers the eastern half of the Gaspé Peninsula and the Magdalen Islands archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence—one of the most geographically striking electoral districts in the country. The Gaspé Peninsula's interior is covered by coniferous forests and rugged terrain, while the coastline features dramatic cliffs, fishing villages, and the iconic Percé Rock. Forillon National Park guards the peninsula's northeastern tip, and the Parc de la Gaspésie protects the Chic-Choc Mountains in the interior. The Magdalen Islands, a chain of windswept sandbars and rolling hills some 215 kilometres offshore, add a maritime character unlike any other riding in Quebec. The region's population—approximately 92,000—skews older than the provincial average, with the highest median age in Quebec. Fishing, forestry, and tourism form the economic backbone.

Candidates

Diane Lebouthillier (Liberal) — Born in Newport on the Gaspé Peninsula, Lebouthillier earned a bachelor's degree in social work from the Université de Moncton and spent more than 23 years working with clients of the Rocher Percé Health and Social Services Centre. She was also co-owner of a local outfitting operation in Sainte-Thérèse-de-Gaspé. First elected in 2015, she had served continuously as Minister of National Revenue since entering cabinet and was seeking her third mandate in 2021.

Guy Bernatchez (Bloc Québécois) — A forest manager by profession, Bernatchez served as mayor of Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis from 2017 to 2021. He was a well-known figure in the Haute-Gaspésie region and ran as the Bloc Québécois candidate for the second consecutive election, having narrowly lost to Lebouthillier in 2019.

Jean-Pierre Pigeon (Conservative) — Pigeon ran as the Conservative candidate in the riding, having also contested the 2019 election in the same district.

Lisa Phung (NDP) — Phung carried the NDP banner in the 2021 contest in this riding.

About the Riding

Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine has long occupied a singular place in Quebec politics. Its economy was historically dominated by the cod fishery, which for centuries shipped hundreds of tonnes of fish to Europe, South America, and the United States. The collapse of the Atlantic cod stocks in the early 1990s devastated coastal communities and forced a painful transition toward tourism, crab and lobster harvesting, and wind energy.

The riding's demographics present challenges typical of remote resource-dependent regions—an aging population, youth outmigration, and limited access to specialized health and social services. The Magdalen Islands face additional pressures from coastal erosion and the logistical costs of insularity. Tourism has become an increasingly vital economic pillar, with the town of Percé alone welcoming more than 500,000 visitors annually to view Percé Rock and the seabird colonies of Île Bonaventure.

Heading into 2021, the contest was one of the most closely watched in Quebec. Bernatchez had come within a few thousand votes of unseating Lebouthillier in 2019, and the Bloc's resurgence across rural Quebec made this riding a genuine battleground. Issues of fisheries management, rural broadband connectivity, and access to health services dominated the local campaign.