Charlesbourg - Haute-Saint-Charles

The northern part of Quebec City makes up much of this riding. It contains that part of the provincial capital comprising the former cities of Charlesbourg, Lac-St-Charles and St-Émile.

Due to the riding's proximity to the Quebec National Assembly, a major source of employment is government services, followed by other services and retail trade. The average family income is $71,009 with an unemployment rate of four per cent.

In the 2006 census almost 97 per cent of residents claimed French as their mother tongue, while less than one per cent are primarily English-speaking. The total immigrant population is less than three per cent.

In 2004, the riding name became Charlesbourg and part of the southwest corner, west of Autoroute Laurentiennes, became part of Louis St-Laurent riding. This riding was created in 1976 from 51 per cent of Montmorency and 49 per cent of Portneuf. In 1996, a small part of Beauport-Montmorency-Orléans was added. The riding name changed from Charlesbourg to Charlesbourg-Jacques Cartier in 1998.

Population: 94,522 (2006 census; an increase of 4.8% since 2001)

Political History

Conservative Daniel Petit won a narrow victory in 2006, topping Bloc Québécois incumbent Richard Marceau by less than 1,400 votes. It was a big reversal for the Bloc; in 2004, Bloc Québécois MP Richard Marceau defeated the next closest candidate by more than two-to-one to win a third term.

Liberal Pierre Bussières, first elected in Portneuf in 1974, won in Charlesbourg in 1979 and 1980, but was defeated in 1984. He was minister of national revenue from 1982-84. The riding then voted Conservative, electing PC Monique Tardif for two terms. In 1993, BQ Jean-Marc Jacob was elected. He ran for mayor of Charlesbourg in 1996 and after losing he said: "The more I get to know men, the more I like my job as a veterinarian." For that remark, he was suspended from caucus for a short period.

• 1979, 1980 - LIB
• 1984, 1988 - PC
• 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004 - BQ
• 2006 - CON