TERREBONNE, Que. — The Parti Québécois recaptured a longtime stronghold northeast of Montreal, winning the riding of Terrebonne in a byelection Monday.
The PQ's Catherine Gentilcore was winning as counting continued late in the evening with just above 53 per cent of the votes cast compared to just under 29 per cent for the Coalition Avenir Québec's Alex Gagné, the runner-up.
The Quebec Liberals, Québec Solidaire and the Conservative Party of Quebec were all well back.
As the first results came in, Gentilcore was in the lead, prompting cheers from PQ supporters gathered.
"We want a country!" they chanted, waving Quebec flags in a Terrebonne hotel room.
Voters went to the polls to replace former economy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon. The former high-profile cabinet minister in François Legault's government quit politics in September 2024 and the riding had been vacant since.
Terrebonne on Montreal's north shore had been held by Fitzgibbon since the Coalition Avenir Québec formed government in 2018, but it had for the most part been a traditional safe seat of the sovereigntist PQ going back to 1976.
PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon called Monday's win a "decisive victory."
"I am convinced that Catherine will be an excellent MNA for Terrebonne and that she will never let them down due to lack of motivation," he told PQ supporters.
Confirming his party's loss, Legault spoke to supporters at Gagné's election night gathering and said what mattered was regaining the seat in the next provincial election scheduled for October 2026. To that end, he had a message for Gentilcore.
"I want to tell her to take advantage of it," Legault told those gathered. "Because in 18 months, we fully intend to retake Terrebonne."
The PQ had made the riding a priority with Gentilcore, securing the party's fifth seat at the legislature.
The sovereigntist party sits fourth among current parties in terms of seats, but has been atop the polls in Quebec under St-Pierre Plamondon and has now captured back-to-back provincial byelections, stealing both seats from the CAQ.
Legault's party also lost a third byelection in Montreal to Québec Solidaire in March 2023.
The PQ was seen as the clear favorite in Terrebonne, with poll aggregator website QC125.com estimating the sovereigntist party's victory probability at 98 per cent.
Legault noted byelections are rarely favourable for a government.
"This is an opportunity for citizens to say: 'I didn't like that decision," the premier said.
The byelection also took place amid trade tensions between Canada and the United States.
Legault called for the vote while he was in Washington in an attempt to dissuade U.S. President Donald Trump from imposing tariffs on Canadian products.
After Monday's result, Legault's party holds 86 seats in the legislature, followed by the Quebec Liberals at 19, Québec Solidaire at 12, and the PQ at five seats. There are three Independents.
The legislature resumes sitting Tuesday after a spring break.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2025.
Frédéric Lacroix-Couture, The Canadian Press
