Drummond

This riding is located in the heart of Quebec. Rivière-St-François runs through the riding, separating north from south. The riding contains the regional county municipality of Drummond, with the main population centres of Drummondville, Nôtre-Dame-Du-Bon-Conseil and St-Charles-de-Drummond.

The industries in this riding include manufacturing, the service sector and agriculture.

Almost 96 per cent of the population cited French as their mother tongue in the 2006 census. The total immigrant population is just under three per cent. The average family income is $62,134 and the unemployment rate is seven per cent.

In the redistribution of 2004, only minor changes were made to the boundaries. This riding was established in 1966. The 1996 redistribution kept 94 per cent of the riding.

Population: 92,982 (2006 census; an increase of 5.9% since 2001)

Political History

Pauline Picard of the Bloc Québécois was elected to a fifth term in 2006, winning just under 50 per cent of the total vote.

In 2004, Pauline easily defeated Liberal Roger Gougeon.

The former Drummond-Arthabaska riding was Liberal from 1887, except for two wins by Social Credit in 1962 and 1972. In 1963 and 1965, Liberal Jean-Luc Pépin was elected in that riding. In 1968, he became MP for the newly formed Drummond riding. Pépin had several portfolios, including Industry, Energy and External Relations, under prime ministers Pearson and Trudeau.

In 1972, Social Credit's Jean-Marie Boisvert defeated Pépin. Boisvert was defeated in 1974 by Liberal Yvon Pinard who went on to win two more terms. He was appointed president of the Privy Council and government House leader in 1980. He resigned in 1984 and was appointed a judge of the Federal Court, trial division. Progressive Conservative Jean-Guy Guilbault won in 1984 and 1988 but was defeated in 1993.

• 1968 - LIB
• 1972 - SC
• 1974, 1979, 1980 - LIB
• 1984, 1988 - PC
• 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006 - BQ