In Greater Montreal, an area typically evenly divided between the Liberals and the Parti Québécois, the Action Démocratique du Québec unexpectedly surged beyond both in 13 ridings, winning them for the first time.
The ADQ grabbed 12 of those seats from the Parti Québécois , including Chambly, Deux-Montagnes, Mirabel, L'Assomption, and Groulx. One riding, Huntingdon, was snatched from the Liberals.
In total, the Liberals took 31 ridings in Greater Montreal , with the PQ winning 14.
2 upsets on Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal, where three mayors spoke out in support of the ADQ, saw two upsets, but remained otherwise largely unchanged, with the PQ representing the upper east end and the Liberals holding the lower half.
The bellwether riding of Crémazie broke its record of siding with the winning side since 1973, with PQ candidate Lisette Lapointe taking 36.22 per cent of the popular vote, followed closely by Liberal incumbent Michèle Lamquin-Éthier with 35.15 per cent.
The other surprise was in Laurier-Dorion, where Liberal candidate Gerry Sklavounos grabbed a seat from the PQ incumbent, Elsie Lefebvre.
Sklavounos had 39.77 per cent of the popular support, and Lefebvre had 35.96 per cent.
Both ridings saw the ADQ gain about five per cent of the popular vote compared to the last provincial election in 2003.
Liberals were elected in 20 seats in the Island of Montreal ridings and the PQ won eight.
Last-minute candidate takes seat for ADQ
One surprise included the largely francophone seat of Deux-Montagnes, a riding where an ADQ candidate parachuted into the campaign late, and managed to secure a win for the party.
The ADQ's first candidate in the riding, internet radio host Jean-François Plante, was asked to resign after controversial comments, suggesting the annual commemoration of the Montreal massacre was getting tedious.
He was replaced in the race by Lucie Leblanc, who won Monday's election with 36.26 per cent of the popular vote, followed closely by PQ candidate Daniel Goyer, who had 32.96 per cent.
Demerger big issue for suburbs
In Montreal, several issues dominated the election campaign, contributing to popular vote gains for the ADQ.
On the West Island and Montreal West, four mayors voiced support for the ADQ during the election campaign because the right-wing party vowed to give demerged municipalities more powers.
The Liberals have been largely blamed by demerged municipalities for a loss of decision-making power under the new body set up to oversee municipal services they still share.
Montreal voters also closely watched health-care promises because of the city's shortage of doctors and overcrowding at hospitals.
In a swath of ridings outside the cities, job losses weighed heavily on the minds of many, including those in the electoral districts of Mirabel, Châteauguay and Huntingdon.
Related
| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIB | 48 | 0 | 48 | 33.08% |
| ADQ | 41 | 0 | 41 | 30.80% |
| PQ | 36 | 0 | 36 | 28.32% |
| QS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.65% |
| GRN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.89% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | .26% |
| Last Update:March 27, 12:52:21 AM EDT | ||||
Quebec Votes 2007 Headlines »
- Que. Liberals take minority win with grain of salt
- Quebec Premier Jean Charest said he'll build bridges with the Parti Québécois and the Action Démocratique du Québec to ensure a stable minority government.
- Dumont will work with Quebec Premier Charest
- Quebec's new Opposition Leader Mario Dumont said he wants stability at the national assembly and pledged to work with the Liberal minority government on a case-by-case basis.
- Boisclair remains at helm after PQ finishes 3rd
- André Boisclair is staying on as leader of the Parti Québécois and vowed to help rebuild the fractured party after it suffered major losses in Monday's provincial election.
- Quebec election result 'good news' for Canada: PM
- Stephen Harper says voters in the Quebec election have used their ballots to reject calls for another referendum in a "great result" for Canada.
- Charest keeps seat as Liberals cling to power in Quebec
- Quebecers are waking up to a minority Liberal government — the first minority in the province in 130 years — and a new official Opposition.