Trois-Rivieres

The federal riding of Trois-Rivieres covers most of the city at the mouth of the Saint-Maurice River on the north shore of the St. Lawrence — roughly midway between Montreal and Quebec City. Founded in 1634, Trois-Rivieres is the second-oldest permanent French settlement in North America after Quebec City and serves as the economic and cultural capital of the Mauricie region. The riding excludes the western sectors of the former cities of Trois-Rivieres-Ouest and Pointe-du-Lac and is bordered by Berthier—Maskinonge, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, and Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Becancour. The population is overwhelmingly francophone, and the median age skews higher than the provincial average.

Candidates

Rene Villemure (Bloc Quebecois) — An ethicist and philosopher, Villemure grew up in Trois-Rivieres and holds a master's degree in philosophy from the Universite de Sherbrooke. In 1998 he founded the Institut quebecois d'ethique appliquee, becoming the first Canadian practitioner of applied organizational ethics outside academia. Over two decades he advised governments and corporations on ethical governance and taught at Laval University's College of Corporate Directors. He received an honorary doctorate from the Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres in 2019.

Yves Levesque (Conservative) — The former mayor of Trois-Rivieres, Levesque served as the city's chief magistrate from 2001 to 2018. He joined the Conservative Party in 2018 and ran as its candidate in both 2019 and 2021.

Martin Francoeur (Liberal) — A veteran journalist, Francoeur spent 27 years at the Trois-Rivieres daily newspaper Le Nouvelliste, serving as reporter, editor-in-chief, and editorial writer. He won the Judith-Jasmin Prize for journalism in 2011 and held a bachelor of laws degree from McGill University.

Adis Simidzija (NDP) — Born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Simidzija arrived in Quebec as a child refugee in 1998. He studied sociology at UQAM and completed a master's in literature at UQTR. A psychosocial worker serving homeless populations in Trois-Rivieres, he founded the non-profit Books and Refugees in 2016 to support the schooling and socialization of refugee children.

About the Riding

Trois-Rivieres once bore the title of pulp-and-paper capital of the world. From the late 1920s through the early 1960s, the hydroelectric potential of the Saint-Maurice River drew paper manufacturers to the city, and at the industry's peak five mills operated simultaneously. The gradual collapse of the newsprint market left deep economic scars, and the city spent decades diversifying into post-secondary education, health care, tourism, and light manufacturing.

The 2021 race was among the tightest in the country — a three-way contest between the Bloc, Conservatives, and Liberals that ultimately required a judicial recount. Villemure's margin was razor-thin, underscoring the riding's competitive character. The presence of Levesque — a well-known former mayor — and Francoeur — a prominent local media figure — gave the race an unusually high profile in a mid-sized Quebec city.

Local concerns in 2021 included the transition away from resource-dependent industries, the health of the downtown core, and the quality of federal services in the region. Trois-Rivieres's heritage district, stretching along the St. Lawrence waterfront, has become a draw for cultural tourism, while the Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres anchors the knowledge economy.