Taylor Clark
LJI Reporter
Gatineau residents will head back to the polls on June 9 to elect the next mayor of Gatineau
following France Bélisle’s abrupt resignation on February 22.
Although Gatineau’s next municipal general election is scheduled for November 2, 2025, by-
elections are required when a councillor or mayor position becomes vacant more than 12 months
before the scheduled date.
Residents can expect the same steps in a by-election as in a general election. The application
submission period will run from April 26 to May 10. Votes will be able to be made in advance on
June 2.
Gatineau will be recruiting close to 500 people to work in the elections process, either at the
advance polling station or on election day. More information on the positions will be made
available on the City’s website in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, Versant district councillor Daniel Champagne will be acting as Gatineau’s
interim mayor.
“I will be impartial … I will not support any candidate, whether independent or with a political
party. I want to do my job as transition mayor for the next four months, and that is my objective,”
Champagne told reporters during a press briefing on February 27.
Photo caption: Interim Gatineau Mayor Daniel Champagne takes questions on the details of the
recently announced by-election set for June 9.
Photo credit: Screenshot from Mêlée de presse on February 27 for the Comité plénier