Laval—Les Îles

Laval—Les Îles covers the western portion of Île Jésus, the island that constitutes the city of Laval, north of Montreal across the Rivière des Prairies. The riding includes the neighbourhoods of Îles-Laval, Laval-Ouest, Laval-sur-le-Lac, Sainte-Dorothée, and the western sections of Fabreville and Chomedey. With a population of approximately 112,000, it is one of Quebec's most ethnically diverse suburban ridings — about 33% of residents are immigrants, with the largest communities tracing their origins to Lebanon, Greece, and Syria. Notably, 17.9% of the population identifies as Christian Orthodox and 11.5% as being of Greek ethnic origin, both the highest proportions in Canada.

Candidates

Fayçal El-Khoury (Liberal) — Born in Akkar in northern Lebanon, El-Khoury immigrated to Canada in 1976 as a young man fleeing the Lebanese civil war. He earned a degree in civil engineering from Concordia University — working in a restaurant to fund his studies — and established his own construction company within a year of graduating. He later spent a decade as a consultant specializing in business relations with the Middle East. First elected in 2015, he is also an accomplished poet writing in classical Arabic.

Guillaume Jolivet (Bloc Québécois) — Jolivet has worked as a senior financial advisor for a major Quebec financial institution since 2016. He initially pursued a bachelor's degree in history at the Université de Montréal before pivoting to financial planning. A sovereigntist and former Parti Québécois volunteer, he advocated for Quebec taking full control of its decision-making institutions.

Spyridonas Pettas (Conservative) — Born in Athens, Pettas immigrated to Canada in 1969 and holds a bachelor of commerce from Concordia University. With three decades of management experience, he is president of ARCA Logistics Solutions, a private armoured car and security company. He has been active with the Hellenic Board of Trade of Greater Montreal and has worked with Batshaw Youth and Family Centres.

Rowan Woodmass (NDP) — Woodmass is a web designer and founder of the marketing agency Queerit, and an active member of Montreal's tech and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. They moved to Montreal in 2009 for a Master of Music in Opera Performance at McGill University.

About the Riding

Laval—Les Îles reflects the transformation of Laval from a collection of small agricultural villages into one of Quebec's largest and most diverse cities. Chomedey, the riding's most densely populated sector, has been Laval's multicultural hub since the 1960s and is home to large Greek, Lebanese, Armenian, Italian, and Haitian communities. Sainte-Dorothée and Fabreville have a more suburban residential character, while Îles-Laval and Laval-sur-le-Lac are quieter, semi-rural communities along the Rivière des Mille Îles.

The riding's economy is driven by retail trade, manufacturing, health care, and professional services. The pharmaceutical and high-technology sectors have an important presence. Residential development has surged in recent years, reshaping formerly agricultural land into new housing subdivisions.

Politically, Laval—Les Îles has been a Liberal stronghold since its creation in 2004, buoyed by the riding's large immigrant population and its multilingual, multicultural character. The Bloc Québécois and Conservatives compete for second place, often drawing support from different ethnic communities. Infrastructure, immigration policy, transit connections to Montreal, and services for the riding's diverse linguistic communities are persistent local priorities.