The CAQ wave that swept Quebec on Monday also swept Estrie, where five of the six constituencies were swept by the formation of François Legault. Québec Solidaire, in turn, caused a surprise in Sherbrooke.

A text by Charles Beaudoin

In battles that were far less close than expected, André Bachand (Richmond), François Jacques (Mégantic), Gilles Bélanger (Orford) and Geneviève Hébert (Saint-François) were all elected to the detriment of the Quebec Liberal Party. who had controlled the region since 2014.

Estrie is generally representative of what is happening. People voted for change, said political scientist Isabelle Lacroix, a professor at the University of Sherbrooke. Five out of six counties switched to the Coalition Avenir Québec, while only in Brome-Missisquoi did the CAQ come second in the last election. They were third everywhere else. It’s really a big movement that has taken place.

The traditionally liberal districts of Orford, Mégantic and Richmond lost their flag by a significant margin of several thousand votes. In Brome-Missisquoi, Isabelle Charest was elected with more than 44% of the vote in a Liberal election campaign that had been neglected since 1980 by Pierre Paradis.

The Liberal Party vote literally collapsedexplains Isabelle Lacroix.

Where we had strong castles, where there were strong personalities, it was undoubtedly the desire for change that took precedenceShe adds.

The former family minister, the Liberal Luc Fortin, was defeated in Sherbrooke by Christine Labrie of Québec Solidaire.

This was very difficult to predict at the start of the campaign. It’s a surprise for Sherbrooke.

This is a big victory. Without being a Liberal stronghold, Sherbrooke, there is a legal background, a Conservative background that identified more with the Liberal Party and that could easily have sided with the CAQ. This is not at all the path Sherbrooke took, and it is very surprising. We will have to see who voted and who managed to vote, in Sherbrooke and elsewherenotes Isabelle Lacroix.

Debacle for the Parti Québécois

The evening was particularly difficult for the Parti Québécois, which finished fourth among the four main parties in every riding in the region.

There is something like a profound questioning there. I even wonder if the party can survive such a defeatshe summarizes.