La Prairie—Atateken

La Prairie—Atateken is a federal riding on Montreal's South Shore in the Montérégie region, encompassing the cities of Candiac, Delson, La Prairie, Saint-Constant, Sainte-Catherine, and Saint-Philippe, along with the Municipality of Saint-Mathieu and the Kahnawake Mohawk reserve. The riding was renamed from La Prairie under the 2022 redistribution, with the Mohawk word Atateken—meaning brotherhood or kinship among peoples sharing common values—added to recognize the presence of the Kahnawake First Nation on its territory. With a population of approximately 118,000, the riding combines fast-growing suburban communities with the historically significant Mohawk community at the base of the Lachine Rapids.

Candidates

Jacques Ramsay (Liberal) is a family physician practising on Montreal's South Shore, a coroner, and a former judge at the Tribunal administratif du Québec—a position he left to seek federal office. His humanitarian medical experience is extensive: he worked with Doctors Without Borders as a hospital manager in an Afghan refugee camp, as medical coordinator during Liberia's civil war, and as the sole physician on site at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali during the Rwandan genocide. He later joined Médecins du Monde, providing care in Haiti and treating Montreal's homeless population.

Alain Therrien (Bloc Québécois) is the former incumbent, having won the riding in 2019 and been re-elected in 2021. Before federal politics, he served in the Quebec National Assembly as a Parti Québécois MNA for Sanguinet from 2012 to 2018. He held the role of Bloc Québécois House Leader from 2021 to 2025 and served as the party's critic for democratic institutions.

Dave Pouliot (Conservative) is a fintech entrepreneur, financial litigation lawyer, and former police officer with the Montreal Police Service. He holds a Bachelor of Civil Law with highest honours and an MBA in Finance from the University of Ottawa.

Mathieu Boisvert (NDP) is a resident of Sainte-Catherine who studied political science and sociology. He has worked in a call centre and for three members of Parliament in the House of Commons, and he focused his campaign on housing affordability and social justice.

Barbara Joannette (Green Party) ran for the Green Party of Canada.

Ruth Fontaine (People's Party) represented the People's Party of Canada.

About the Riding

La Prairie—Atateken's South Shore location places it at the intersection of suburban growth and Indigenous heritage. The communities of Candiac, Saint-Constant, and Delson have experienced rapid residential expansion as young families seek affordable alternatives to Montreal's island housing market, driving demand for schools, transit, and municipal services. The riding's proximity to major highway corridors—including Autoroutes 15 and 30—supports a commuter-oriented economy, though local commercial and industrial zones in La Prairie and Saint-Constant provide significant employment.

Kahnawake, situated at the base of the Lachine Rapids on the St. Lawrence, has a population of approximately 8,000 and a distinct governance structure under the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. The community's economic activities include construction, ironworking—Kahnawake ironworkers helped build some of North America's most iconic bridges and skyscrapers—and commercial enterprises. Federal policy on Indigenous self-governance, land claims, and economic development carried particular weight in the riding.

In 2025, the contest between Liberal newcomer Jacques Ramsay and Bloc incumbent Alain Therrien defined the race. Housing affordability and suburban infrastructure investment dominated the campaign, as the riding's population growth outpaced the development of public services. US trade tensions and their potential impact on Quebec's manufacturing and agricultural exports added an economic dimension, while the riding's unique inclusion of both suburban francophone communities and a Mohawk First Nation ensured that reconciliation and Indigenous governance remained part of the conversation.