Bloc Québécois candidate Mario Simard is the projected winner in the riding of Jonquière.
Jonquière added a large area in the 2013 redistribution, claiming most of the former district of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, except the Saguenay—Chicoutimi area. It consists of the municipalities of Labrecque, Lamarche and Saint-Nazaire. It also encompasses the borough of Jonquière.
The highest peak in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, Mount Valin, is located in this riding.
This area is largely francophone, with close to 99 per cent of the population listing French as their mother tongue.
In the 2019 federal election, Mario Simard won the seat for the Bloc Québécois, beating out NDP incumbent Karine Trudel.
This loss added to the end of the NDP’s grip over Quebec during the 2019 election. The party held 16 seats in the province in 2015, and now holds just one seat. Simard collected 35.6 per per cent of the vote in the 2019 election. Trudel came in second place with 24.6 per cent.
Voters in Jonquière elected Trudel in the 2015 federal election with 29.19 per cent of the vote. Trudel was up for re-election against Canadian Paralympic swimmer Philippe Gagnon from the Conservative Party in 2019.
Jonquière was formerly known as the riding of Jonquière—Alma. It elected a Bloc Québécois MP in 2004 and a Tory in 2006 and 2008.
Candidates
Bloc Québécois: Mario Simard (incumbent)
Conservative Party: Louise Gravel
Green Party: Marie-Josée Yelle
Liberal Party: Stéphane Bégin
NDP: Marieve Ruel
Rhinoceros Party: Line Bélanger