CAQ's Shirley Dorismond wins byelection in Marie-Victorin, a PQ stronghold

The CAQ's Shirley Dorismondwon the hotly contested Marie-Victorin byelection on Montreal's South Shore Monday night,indicating that Premier Franois Legault'sparty remains popular in Quebec despite criticisms over how his government has led the province through the pandemic.

Dorismondwon with5,697 votes, or 34.95 per cent of the votea lead of 795 votes over PartiQubcois(PQ) star candidate Pierre Nantel.

Marie-Victorin, located in Old Longueuil, has been a PQstronghold since its creation in 1980, with only a one-year gap in 1984 when the Liberal partywon a byelection.

According to Legault, who celebrated Dorismond's victory alongside other cabinet ministers at a pizzeria in Longueuil reserved for the occasion, the vote implies Quebecerswant change, but they want it to be done right.

"After 40 years of electing a PQ member, the voters of Marie-Victorin have decided to put that behind them, to look to the future, to send the CAQ and Shirley to the National Assembly," said Legault in his congratulatory speech.

WATCH| Franois Legault andShirley Dorismond celebrate the CAQ's win:

Legault and Dorismond celebrate CAQ victory in Marie-Victorin

2 years ago

Duration 10:38

Premier Franois Legault and CAQ candidate Shirley Dorismond speak to supporters and media after victory in the Marie-Victorin byelection on Montreal's South Shore.

He said voters of Marie-Victorin discovered "an exceptional woman who knows Quebec's health-care network."

In her victory speech, Dorismond aformer nurse and vice-president of the Fdration interprofessionnelle de la sant du Qubec nurses unionsaidshe looks forward to working with the residents in her riding and supporting Quebec HealthMinister Christian Dubin his reform of the health-care system.

"I am making history in Marie-Victorin, where I grew up," saidDorismond, whoattended Grard-Filion high school in Old Longueuil.

She has a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Ottawa and a certificate in gerontology from the Universit de Montral. Her professional background in health care includes work with people suffering from addiction.

In her speech, Dorismondsaid she is already looking forward to working with her colleagues, butespecially the health minister.

"Mr. Dub, I'm coming. I hope you are ready, because I am."

PQ expects better results in general election

The byelection was held to replace the PQ's Catherine Fournier who stepped away from provincial politics to take the reins as mayor of Longueuil.

Fournier was elected as a PQ MNA in a 2016 byelection, and then to a full term in 2018. She left the party in 2019 to sit as an Independent.

But Fournier didn't dominate in 2018, a first for the riding as she beat her CAQ opponent Martyne Prvost byonly 705 votes.

The PQ came in second Monday night, with 30.07 per cent of the vote. At a gathering,leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon looked on the bright side of the party's defeat.

"When we look at this, and we know that in six months, we have a general election, it's a result that is close and I can say: it's only a rematch," he told clearly disappointed supporters.

"I don't think we can assume that the government will have such favourable circumstances in six months."

Plamondon said despite his loss, Nantel will run for the PQ in the Oct. 3 general provincialelection.

For his part, Nantel said his party has shown it remains the "real alternative" to the CAQ and he expects better results in the general election.

"I think it sends [the message] thatthe PQ is alive and well and able to go and challenge the CAQ government."

The fight isn't over for other parties

Shophika Vaithyanathasarma with QubecSolidaire(QS) came in third place Monday night with 2,316 votes (14.21 per cent), followed by Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) candidate Anne Casabonne, who amassed 1,696 votes (10.4per cent.)

In a news release,Vaithyanathasarma noted that more than 200 volunteers workedon her campaign and she plans to roll up her sleeves between now and October.

QS co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said he was proud thathis party took the time to talk about "housing, public transit, the environment, independence!"

At a gathering for the PCQ, leader ric Duhaimealmost claimed victory for his party's fourth place finish.

"The polls put us at 1.9 per cent, then in January we were at 6 per cent. In the last poll, we are at 8 per cent. Tonight we are above 10 and the movement continues," he said Monday night.

Duhaimenoted that all the other opposition partiesobtained lower percentages than in the 2018 general election, allowing him to argue that "the only opposition party that is progressing significantly [...] is the Conservative Party of Quebec."

Liberal candidatemilie Nollet collected just 1,130 votes (6.93 per cent.) on Monday night.

Martine Ouellet, who recently created her Climat Qubec party,won a meagre 310 votes (1.9 per cent.) But she was ahead of the Green Party, whose leader Alex Tyrell won less thanhalf of that 142 votes (0.87 per cent.)

Voter turnout reached 36 per cent, compared to 25 per centin the 2016 byelection in the same riding, when Fournier was first elected.

The CAQ's majority, now grows to 76 of the 125 seats in the National Assembly. Dorismond will have face voters again in the fall when Quebecers cast their ballots in the general election.