Maxime Bernier, leader of the People’s Party of Canada, has lost his re-election campaign in the riding of Beauce in Quebec.
Conservative Party candidate Richard Lehoux, a fourth-generation dairy farmer and former mayor in the region, has been elected as MP for the riding of more than 100,000 people.
Lehoux garnered nearly 40 per cent of the vote, while Bernier received 28.5 per cent.
Bernier was first elected in 2006 under the Conservative Party banner, and was again elected in 2015, winning by 36 per cent. The Bernier name had a strong reputation there as Bernier’s father, Gilles, represented the riding as a Progressive Conservative MP, and then an independent, from 1984 until 1997.
Beauce is a made up of several municipalities stretching from south of Quebec City to the border with Maine. It has long been an important area for agricultural industries and the people who live there, known as Beaucerons, pride themselves on their entrepreneurial spirit.
In 2017, Bernier ran for Conservative Party leadership, but lost by a small margin to Andrew Scheer.
Last fall, Bernier renounced the Conservative Party to form his own People’s Party of Canada, which includes a platform of slashing immigration rates and scrapping supply management.
This was the first year that Bernier ran for election representing the People’s Party of Canada and was a crucial test for the future of his own political career, and that of his new national party.
Incumbent: Maxime Bernier
Candidates:
People’s Party of Canada: Maxime Bernier
Conservative Party: Richard Lehoux
Liberal Pary: Adam Veilleux
Green Party: Josiane Fortin
NDP: François Jacques-Côté
Bloc Québécois: Guillaume Rodrigue
The Rhinoceros Party: Maxime Bernier
Population (2016 census data): 108,746
Comments