Voters head to the polls today in Gouin byelection
Byelection was called after Françoise David chose to leave politics earlier this year
Voters in La Petite-Patrie and Rosemont will head to the polls today to decide who will be the next to represent the riding of Gouin in the National Assembly.
There are more than 44,000 eligible voters in the riding, according to the province's director general of elections (DGEQ). Just over seven per cent of them cast a ballot during the advance voting period.
The byelection was called after Françoise David, a co-founder of pro-sovereignist, left-wing Québec Solidaire, announced in January that she was leaving politics, effective immediately.
David had represented the riding since 2012 and developed a strong base of support. She kept the seat in the 2014 election with 50 per cent of the votes cast in her favour.
Before David's 2012 win, the seat had predominantly been held by the Parti Québécois.
In February, the PQ said it would not put forward a candidate as a gesture of "good faith" towards Québec Solidaire, in hopes the two parties would open discussions about a strategic alliance.
However, Québec Solidaire members voted against working with the PQ at the party's annual convention earlier this May.
Polling stations will be open Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
There are 13 candidates on the ballot. A full list can be found on the DGEQ website.
Here are the candidates who are running for parties that received more than one per cent of the popular vote in the 2014 general election.
Jonathan Marleau, Quebec Liberal Party
At 25 years old, Jonathan Marleau has made a name for himself within the Quebec Liberal Party. Marleau was the president of the Liberal's youth wing until he left the position this past spring to run in the byelection.
During his time as head of the youth wing, members pushed the provincial government to create a commission that would examine systemic racism in Quebec.
Marleau, who is currently a student at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and grew up in in the Chaudière-Appalaches region.
He hopes to capitalize on the growing tension between the Parti Québécois and Québec Solidaire to win the seat.
"There is a lot of supporters of the Parti Québécois that are disappointed or angry," said Marleau, who invited those voters to consider him as an option to represent their riding.
Benjamin Bélair, Coalition Avenir Québec
Benjamin Bélair has been a member of the CAQ since it was created in 2011. According to the party, he has put forward a number of ideas that have become part of their platform.
Bélair, 39, is a philosophy professor at Collège Montmorency and holds several master's and doctorate degrees.
When announcing his candidacy, Bélair said he wanted to make inroads for the CAQ with residents and share some of their platform promises — such as a tax cut of $1,000 for families.
In the 2014 general election, the CAQ finished fourth in Gouin with nearly nine per cent of the vote.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, Québec Solidaire
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois is a newcomer to Québec Solidaire, but has quickly moved to the top of the party's ranks.
It was only this past March that he announced his intention to run for the party in Gouin and become its next co-spokesperson. Just two weeks later, the party's members voted yes on both counts.
Nadeau-Dubois, 26, rose to prominence during the student unrest of 2012 as one of the leaders who spoke for the movement.
He hopes the support shown for Québec Solidaire co-founder Françoise David will carry over into this byelection.
"The message there we're sending is we are here to continue the work of Françoise David," said Nadeau-Dubois.
"To continue her work and make sure the principals, the values, the social project that she was defending, will still be defended by Québec Solidaire."
With files from Antoni Nerestant and Radio-Canada