Gaspesie--Les Iles-de-la-Madeleine--Listuguj

Occupying the eastern tip of the Gaspe Peninsula and the remote Magdalen Islands archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, this riding is one of Quebec's most geographically distinctive constituencies. The 2022 redistribution added the Listuguj designation in recognition of the Mi'gmaq First Nation community of Listuguj (formerly Restigouche), situated at the mouth of the Restigouche River on the New Brunswick border. The territory encompasses the regional county municipalities of La Cote-de-Gaspe, Le Rocher-Perce, Bonaventure, and Avignon, along with the Iles-de-la-Madeleine -- a string of wind-swept islands 215 kilometres from the nearest mainland.

Candidates

Alexis Deschenes (Bloc Quebecois) -- A journalist for 12 years, Deschenes spent four years as a parliamentary correspondent at Quebec's National Assembly for the TVA network and was a regular commentator on current affairs on RDI. He later became a lawyer and was elected Batonnier (Bar president) of the Lower St. Lawrence--Gaspesie--Iles-de-la-Madeleine Bar in May 2024. He ran twice at the provincial level for the Parti Quebecois without success -- in Trois-Rivieres in 2014 and in Bonaventure in 2022. His decision to run federally was motivated by the threat of U.S. tariffs and his desire to defend Quebec's interests in a potential trade war.

Diane Lebouthillier (Liberal) -- Born in 1959, Lebouthillier spent more than 23 years as a social worker at the Rocher-Perce Health and Social Services Centre before entering politics. She holds a bachelor's degree in social work from the Universite de Moncton and served as elected warden of the Regional County Municipality of Rocher-Perce. First elected in 2015, she served in the federal cabinet as Minister of National Revenue from 2015 to 2023 and as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard from 2023 until her departure from cabinet in 2025. She was seeking a fourth term.

Jean-Pierre Pigeon (Conservative) -- A retired financial advisor from Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Pigeon has been a Conservative activist since 1977 and was running for a fourth consecutive election. He previously served as president of the Commission scolaire des Chic-Chocs. Recently retired after selling his financial services firm, he was mandated by the party to restructure riding associations across Eastern Quebec.

Denise Giroux (NDP) -- The NDP candidate, Giroux campaigned on affordable housing, employment insurance reform, and healthcare access in a region defined by seasonal employment and geographic isolation.

Shawn Grenier (Parti Rhinoceros Party) -- Running under the satirical Rhinoceros Party banner, Grenier provided a protest-vote option.

Christian Rioux (People's Party) -- The People's Party candidate, Rioux advocated for reduced government, lower taxes, and opposition to carbon pricing.

About the Riding

Gaspesie--Les Iles-de-la-Madeleine--Listuguj has a population of approximately 93,000 and faces some of the most acute demographic challenges of any riding in Quebec. The population has declined significantly over recent decades -- the region counted 11,900 fewer people in 2023 than in 1998, though a modest recovery began around 2020. The population is older than the Quebec average, with the highest proportion of residents over 65 and the lowest share under 20 of any region in the province.

The economy is heavily dependent on natural resources and seasonal industries. Commercial fishing -- snow crab, lobster, shrimp, and groundfish -- is the lifeblood of many coastal communities and the Magdalen Islands. Forestry, mining (including the cement works at Port-Daniel--Gascons, which opened in 2017), and tourism round out the economic base. Perce Rock, Forillon National Park, and the Magdalen Islands' red sandstone cliffs draw visitors from around the world, but the tourism season is short. Employment insurance is critical to the region's survival, as many workers cycle between seasonal employment and EI benefits. In 2025, the contest was closely watched as a test of whether the Bloc could unseat a Liberal cabinet minister. Deschenes defeated Lebouthillier by a margin of roughly 3,000 votes, ending her decade-long hold on the riding. Campaign issues included fisheries management, employment insurance reform, U.S. tariff threats to the seafood export industry, healthcare access, the cost of living in remote communities, and transportation links -- including ferry service to the Magdalen Islands and road maintenance along the peninsula's coastal highways.