MONTREAL – The Quebec election results rolled in quickly after polls closed on Monday evening, with the Liberal Party painting the province red.
By 9 p.m., a Liberal majority government had been declared.
READ MORE: Liberal party, Philippe Couillard win majority government in Quebec
Here are the top surprise wins and losses of the night.
Surprise Losses
Pauline Marois
By far, the biggest surprise of the night was when the Parti Quebecois leader lost her own seat in Charlevoix-Cote-de-Beaupre and stepped down as PQ leader. Liberal candidate Caroline Simard took the riding by 35 per cent. Marois became the province’s first female premier in 2012 and had a long career in Quebec politics. She was first elected to the National Assembly in 1981 and has been a constant presence there since 1989.
Watch: Pauline Marois speaks after her defeat
Fatima Houda-Pepin
For 20 years, Fatima Houda-Pepin has been a member of the National Assembly, after first being elected to the La Piniere riding as a Liberal Party candidate in 1994. In January, she left the party over a disagreement over the charter of values. She ran as an independent, but lost against Liberal Party candidate, Gaetan Barrette.
Watch: PQ identity politics may have backfired
Diane De Courcy
The former Immigration and Cultural Communities Minister was first elected member of the National Assembly of Cremazie in 2012. She was a central figure in the debate surrounding Bill 14, a proposal to amend the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101). The Liberals were counting on minority communities to show their discontent with the charter of values to help them win.
Watch: Impact of Quebec’s ethnic vote
Leo Bureau-Blouin
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Quebec’s youngest MNA lost his seat in the National Assembly. Laval-des-Rapides was a Liberal riding for almost a decade before the former student leader-turned politician Leo Bureau-Blouin took it for the Parti Quebecois in 2012.
Watch: Students protest austerity in Montreal
Surprise Wins
Pierre Karl Peladeau
Quebecor media mogul Pierre Karl Peladeau caused a stir when he announced he was running as the Parti Quebecois’ candidate for the Laurentide riding of Saint-Jerome. Now that he’s won his seat, the question many political pundits are asking is whether or not the billionaire will throw his hat in the ring for leader of the party.
Watch: Pierre-Karl Peladeau wins riding, but what’s next?
Philippe Couillard
He may have been the leader of the Liberal Party but there was some doubt that Philippe Couillard would lose in his riding. Roberval has flipped between the Quebec Liberal Party, the Parti Quebecois and Union Nationale since its creation in 1931. Couillard made it a point to run in what is considered an extremely “pure laine” – or pure Quebecois – riding in order to prove that Liberal support does exist in the regions of Quebec.
Watch: Philippe Couillard delivers speech filled with hope and unity
Manon Massé
Quebec Solidaire celebrated a victory when they added a third seat to the National Assembly. It was Manon Massé’s fifth time running and she managed to beat Liberal Anna Klisko and PQ incumbent Daniel Breton in Sainte-Marie Saint-Jacques. The riding had been a PQ stronghold since the early 70s.
Watch: Françoise David speaks to Quebec Solidaire supporters
Jean-Denis Girard
In the swing riding of Trois-Rivieres, Liberal candidate Jean-Denis Girard beat out the PQ star candidate, former TVA/Radio-Canada journalist Alexis Deschenes. Pauline Marois kicked off her campaign in the Mauricie region, hoping to make gains in the area.
Watch: What went right for the Liberals tonight?
Claude Suprenant
Parti Quebecois star candidate Martine Desjardins struggled all night against Liberal Vicki Emard and in the end, it was CAQ candidate Claude Surprenant who came out the winner. This was a surprise because the CAQ incumbent Hélène Daneault had retired, seemingly opening the door to the PQ.
Watch: The future of the CAQ
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