By Trevor Greenway
Liberal incumbent Sophie Chatel was all smiles at Chelsea Pub, as she won a second term in the Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi riding and as her party formed a fourth consecutive government during Monday’s federal election on April 28.
“I’m truly touched by the trust that you’ve given me to represent such a beautiful community,” said Chatel during her victory speech around 11 p.m. to a raucous crowd. “But this victory belongs to every one of you – everyone who believes in the power of community, the power of hope and hard work.”
And by the numbers, it was a breeze for Chatel in the riding. According to Elections Canada, with 97 per cent of the polls counted in this riding, Chatel took 52 per cent of the vote, with Conservative Brian Nolan taking just 30 per cent. The Bloc’s Suzanne Proulx took third place, while the NDP’s Gilbert Whiteduck fell to fourth on a night when his party lost official party status in the House of Commons with their projected seven seats.
But it was a night of red and white at the Chelsea Pub, as Chatel cruised through the doors to the theme song from ‘Rocky’. There were close to 40 or so supporters cheering and waving mini Canadian flags.
The cautious optimism that Liberals carried with them throughout the night quickly gave way to pure celebration, as the Liberals took an early lead and maintained it. And when Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s riding came on screen to show that he was losing by a large margin, the room erupted in cheers.
Chatel told the Low Down that she felt the most significant shift in the campaign came when former Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau stepped down, paving the way for Mark Carney to become the new face of the Liberal party, and offering the best chance at facing the tariff threats from the U.S. President Donald Trump. She called the move a “game changer.”
“Mark Carney is an amazing individual, but he has the experience, the vision, the plan, to face perhaps the biggest economic crisis that Canada has ever lived through since the Great Depression,” said Chatel. “And to face Donald Trump and also the AI revolution and the transition to a clean economy.”
Locally, Chatel spoke of the “opportunity” in the riding to remove interprovincial trade barriers, increase support for farmers and small business owners, and to support affordable housing in the region. On that note, she said the Liberals would support axing GST for new home purchases.
Chatel also spoke about the schism that Canada had seen over the past few years with the pandemic, language and politics, but she said that she is done feeding into “divisive Canada.”
“There’s no time for division,” she said. “It’s time to unite. No matter who you voted for this election, it’s time to unite and build. It’s time to speak with one voice.”
Chatel also said she would stand up for English rights in Quebec and stated her support for a Liberal intervention at the Supreme Court of Canada over Bill 96 should Quebec’s controversial language law make it to Canada’s highest court.
But Chatel voted for C-13, an Act to amend the Official Languages Act, and defended her stance, arguing that C-13 actually strengthens French outside of Quebec while supporting anglophones in Quebec.
“C-13 to me is legislation to protect the French minority outside of Quebec, which is really at risk,” said Chatel. “It’s good legislation because it brought investment for our minority groups so that they have equal opportunities, especially for employment.”
As for her first order of business, Chatel said she is immediately dusting off her Gatineau Park protection bill and will work with Senator Rosa Galvez to push it through.
“It’s a natural jewel,” said Chatel of Gatineau Park, which attracts more than two million visitors each year to the region. “It is an economic attraction. And when we talk about unlocking economic potential, there is a lot of eco tourism there, so we need to protect it.”
By press time, polls were still being counted, and it’s unclear if the Liberals will form a majority or minority government.
Conservatives ‘proud’ of gains in riding
Brian Nolan’s Conservative campaign won a level of support for the Tories not seen in the riding in more than a decade.
Though final counts are not quite complete, by press time Nolan had placed in second, with about 28 per cent of the vote in Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi – an eight-point increase from the 2021 election.
After conceding the race just before midnight on April 28, Nolan told the Low Down he was proud of the campaign he ran and appreciative of the volunteers and supporters.
“I was really present, and I tried to connect with people,” Nolan said in an interview after the results came out. He added that he thinks that’s why his campaign resonated with over 15,000 Hills voters.
At 9 p.m., Nolan saw a pathway to victory locally and nationally for the Conservatives. He predicted strong support for his campaign in the north and west portions of the riding. Standing outside his campaign office on Old Chelsea Road, waiting for results to come in, Nolan told the Low Down that he had been throughout the riding to polling stations on April 28, thanking supporters who were out casting their vote. He said he was happy with the campaign he ran, accumulating 9,000 kilometres on his truck and speaking with about 4,000 constituents in the month-long campaign.
At 9:30 p.m., when polls closed, the chatter and energy in the office increased as 18 people, including Nolan and his family, watched the TV for results.
When Nolan’s name came on screen, there was a cheer and proclamation of, “We’re tied right now,” as the broadcast showed a 0-0 tie for all the candidates in the riding.
Thirty-five minutes after Quebec polls closed, however, the broadcast called the election in favour of the Liberals, and the room sat motionless. Someone made a fake retching noise when Carney’s picture came on screen.
Discussion of Pierre Poilievre in the room grew as the Liberals opened a wide lead, but criticisms of the party leader subsided, as results changed and it became clear that the Conservatives had made gains across the country but not enough to form government.
Liberal candidate Sophie Chatel maintained a narrow lead over Nolan for a couple of hours, with Nolan keeping a close eye on the number of votes still to come. Just before midnight, however, Chatel’s lead had begun to widen, and Nolan conceded the election.
“It’s been a long day,” Nolan said at midnight. “Discouraged a little bit and disappointed.”
Nolan told the Low Down that he had had a good feeling he had a chance, but said the residents had made their choice.
“I think we did everything right,” he said, adding that he felt he “had the pulse” of the riding’s rural population in the north and west, but he said much of the riding was attracted to the message of Mark Carney.
“I don’t think [voters] were supporting Sophie much because she hasn’t done much [for] the riding,” he said, criticizing her for focusing on the tourism industry. “People wanted to vote for Mr. Carney … Sophie was never selling herself, she was mostly selling Carney,” he added.
Nolan wished the best for Chatel, and said he’ll be back at it again when the next election comes. He said he hopes the minority government will fall in two years so he can run again.
Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi NDP candidate falls to Liberals
NDP candidate Gilbert Whiteduck may have lost in Monday’s federal election, but the former Kitigan-Zibi chief and Algonquin from the Anishinabeg First Nation says he will continue to stand up for what he believes in.
“Tomorrow’s another day. Many of the issues in the riding are still going to be there. I’ll work on those that I have time to work on,” said Whiteduck to the Low Down. He said he will continue to advocate for environmental issues, the Gatineau River and many other issues in the riding.
Nationally and locally, the NDP came in 4th in the election, after the Bloc Quebecois. With so few seats, the NDP lost its official party status.
Whiteduck’s campaign team sat in campaign manager Toby Sanger’s house Monday night, in Wakefield, watching the election results coming in around 11 p.m.
He got just five per cent of the vote – 2,921 by press time.
Shortly after Whiteduck and his wife, Patricia, arrived closer to 10:45 p.m., the room erupted in applause, and he said a few words, including thanking his wife and the people gathered around the television.
“I don’t think I could have done it without all of you,” he said to the group. It was Whiteduck’s first time running in an election.
A couple of the people in the room mentioned to the Low Down that Whiteduck was the reason they wanted to be involved in the first place.
“He has the integrity I long for in a politician,” said Ilse Turnsen, a member of his campaign team. She said she’s happy to vote for someone she believes in.
Whiteduck ran a unique campaign throughout the Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi riding, with no political pamphlets being handed out to residents. Instead, Whiteduck said he created dialogue “circles” where people gathered and spoke.
As a message to all voters, he thanked them for considering him, and said that “the importance of working together and working on common issues is really important.”
Despite falling to fourth place, the room remained positive throughout the night.
Whiteduck said he may run again, but he mentioned that a lot can happen in four years, so he is unsure if he will run again at this time.
By press time, the riding counted 97 per cent of the vote.
