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Canada Votes 2008

Results, Ridings and Candidates

Haute-Gaspésie - La Mitis - Matane - Matapédia

2008 Results

Haute-Gaspésie-La Mitis-Matane-Matapédia
Party Candidate Votes Status
Updated: Nov. 7, 2008 5:00 PM EST 216/216 polls
BQ Jean-Yves Roy 11,977 Elected
LIB Nancy Charest 11,368
CON Jérôme Landry 5,743
NDP Julie Demers 1,497
GRN Louis Drainville 1,139
IND Liliane Potvin 175

Unofficial results were updated at the time shown following judicial recounts in six ridings. For more recent results, visit Elections Canada. The CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. External links will open in a new window.

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This predominantly rural riding lies on the northern side of the Gaspé Peninsula. It is bordered on the north by the St. Lawrence River and touches on New Brunswick in the southeast corner. The riding contains the regional county municipalities of La Haute-Gaspésie, La Matapédia, Matane and La Mitis.

The industries here include manufacturing, retail trade and the service sector. This riding has one of lowest average family incomes in Canada at $53,431 and an unemployment rate of 14.3 per cent.

According to the 2006 census, the total immigrant population is just one-half of one per cent. Over 98 per cent of the population cited French as a mother tongue, while only 0.5 per cent are anglophones. Only eight per cent of residents over age 25 have a university certificate or degree.

In 2004, the southwest section of Avignon was moved to the neighbouring ridings and 27 per cent of Rimouski-Neigette-et-la-Mitis has been added in the west. This riding was Matapédia-Matane from 1933 to 1966, Matane from 1966 to 1976, and recreated again as Matapédia-Matane in 1976 from 62 per cent of Matane and 38 per cent of Rimouski. In 1996, it added 31 per cent of Bonaventure-Îles-de-la-Madeleine and 25 per cent of Gaspé riding.

Population: 73,140 (2006 census; a decrease of 1.8% since 2001)

Political History

The Conservatives gained some ground and the Liberals lost some, but the Bloc Québécois remained on top in 2006 as Jean-Yves Roy won his third straight election.

In 2004, Roy, defeated Liberal Marc Bélanger for a second time, increasing his margin to more than 8,000 votes. The BQ's René Canuel served two terms in 1993 and 1997.

Matapédia-Matane and later Matane was a Liberal riding except for PC wins in 1930, 1958 and 1962. Liberal Pierre de Bané won in 1968, 1972 and 1974. He was appointed minister of state for urban affairs in 1974 and minister of supply and services in 1978. When the riding became Matapédia-Matane, he won two more terms, serving as minister of regional economic expansion in 1980 and minister of fisheries in 1982. He was appointed to the Senate in 1984.

Progressive Conservative Jean-Luc Joncas won in 1984 and 1988, but was defeated in 1993.

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