Lac-Saint-Jean

Lac-Saint-Jean occupies the vast territory surrounding the lake of the same name in the Saguenay--Lac-Saint-Jean region of northern Quebec, taking in communities such as Alma, Roberval, Saint-Félicien, Dolbeau-Mistassini, and Normandin. With a population of approximately 105,000 spread across some 30,000 square kilometres of boreal forest, farmland, and lakeshore, the riding is overwhelmingly francophone -- over 98 percent of residents speak French as their mother tongue -- and has deep roots in agriculture, forestry, and aluminum production.

Candidates

Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Bloc Québécois) -- Born in 1979, Brunelle-Duceppe is the son of former Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe. First elected in 2019, he sought a third consecutive term. Before entering politics he worked in the forestry industry and the cultural sector. In Parliament he served as the Bloc's critic for immigration, refugees, citizenship, and human rights, and gained prominence for his advocacy on international human-rights issues, earning the endorsement of former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler during the 2025 campaign.

Denis Lemieux (Liberal) -- A former Liberal MP for the neighbouring riding of Chicoutimi--Le Fjord from 2015 to 2017, Lemieux is an engineer by training and founder of the company Hydralfor. He briefly served as director general of Promotion Saguenay in 2018. Lemieux said his return to federal politics was motivated primarily by the Canada-US tariff crisis and its potential impact on the region's export-dependent economy.

Dave Blackburn (Conservative) -- A native of the Lac-Saint-Jean region now residing in Gatineau, Blackburn is a former parole commissioner and former senior officer with the Canadian Armed Forces Health Services. He serves as Dean of Continuing Education and Consulting Services at the Université du Québec en Outaouais. This was his second federal campaign, having previously run as a Conservative candidate in Pontiac in 2019.

Hugues Boily-Maltais (NDP) -- Boily-Maltais carried the NDP banner in the riding, campaigning on the party's national platform of workers' rights, pharmacare, and affordable housing.

Lorie Bouchard (People's Party) -- Bouchard represented the People's Party of Canada, running on the party's platform of reduced government spending and lower immigration.

About the Riding

The economy of Lac-Saint-Jean is anchored by aluminum smelting -- Rio Tinto operates major facilities in the area -- along with forestry and wood products, agriculture, and blueberry production, for which the region is famous across Quebec. Dairy farming and supply management are also significant, with the riding home to many family-operated farms that depend on the federal quota system.

The region faces persistent demographic challenges. The population is aging faster than the provincial average, with roughly one in four residents over the age of 65, and out-migration of young people to urban centres has been a long-standing concern. However, recent years have seen modest population growth driven by immigration and interprovincial in-migration, a reversal of decades of decline.

In 2025, the federal campaign was shaped by the threat of US tariffs on aluminum and forestry exports -- industries that employ thousands in the region -- as well as cost-of-living pressures, healthcare access in rural communities, and the future of agricultural supply management. The Bloc Québécois has held this seat since 2019 after decades of shifting between the Bloc, Liberals, and Conservatives, and sovereignty sentiment remains a significant undercurrent in local politics.