Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist
The 2025 federal election campaign is officially underway after Prime Minister Mark Carney triggered a snap vote on Sunday.
The election call will send voters to the ballot box on Apr. 28. In the Pontiac, residents will be asked to choose between five candidates competing to represent the Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi riding on Parliament Hill: Green Party candidate Claude Bertrand, Liberal Party candidate and current MP Sophie Chatel, People’s Party of Canada candidate Todd Hoffman, Conservative Party candidate Brian Nolan, and New Democratic Party candidate Gilbert Whiteduck. As of Monday, the riding had no candidate representing the Bloc Québecois.
As part of THE EQUITY’s election coverage, we plan to sit down with each of these candidates to better understand their priorities and what they plan to offer if elected to be the federal representative of this riding. Until then, here’s a short recap of those vying for the Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi seat, based off THE EQUITY’s previous coverage.
Candidates are listed alphabetically, by last name.
Claude Bertrand – Green Party of Canada
Claude Bertrand ran as the riding’s federal Green Party candidate in 2019 and is returning to the ballot this year following a hiatus in the 2021 federal election, when former candidate Shaughn McArthur won 2.8 per cent of the riding’s votes. The La Pêche resident has worked as an engineer in both the public and private sectors, and as a pilot for the Canadian Armed Forces.
Last week Bertrand told THE EQUITY that his campaign priorities include advocating for better environmental protection from the federal government and for electoral reform that would replace the country’s current “first-past-the-post” system with proportional representation. Other concerns include the economic issues faced by people in the Pontiac, the potential environmental impact of the planned Chalk River nuclear waste disposal facility and designating Gatineau Park as a national park.
Sophie Chatel – Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party candidate Sophie Chatel has served as MP for the riding since she won the seat with 43.4 per cent of the vote in the 2021 federal election, and is the first woman to hold the seat. Chatel has been a resident in the riding since 2002.
Before becoming an MP, she worked in tax policy, notably as the former head of the tax treaty unit at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. Last week, Chatel was appointed to be Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Rural Economic Development.
Chatel was one of the first MPs to endorse Mark Carney as her choice for the leader of the Liberal Party, after previously stating she was looking for a candidate with a strong vision for building a green economy, which she has indicated to be a priority of her own.
Todd Hoffman – People’s Party of Canada
Longtime Pontiac resident Todd Hoffman announced he would be running as the People’s Party of Canada candidate at an event hosted at his Campbell’s Bay brewery, Brauwerk Hoffman, in June 2024.
Hoffman, a business owner who serves as vice-president of the Pontiac Chamber of Commerce (but has stepped aside from the board for the duration of the election), was one of the first candidates in the Pontiac to call for the easing of interprovincial trade barriers to better support local businesses such as his own, which is constrained from selling its alcohol products in Ontario.
At an unofficial campaign event hosted at his brewery in January, Hoffman said he believed it was important to support agritourism for Pontiac farmers and clamp down on federal immigration policies.
Former People’s Party candidate David Bruce Gottfred won 4.5 per cent of the Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi riding’s votes in the 2021 federal election.
Brian Nolan – Conservative Party of Canada
Brian Nolan received the Conservative Party nomination following a tight vote in Dec. 2024.
Nolan, a resident of Chelsea, Que., has a degree in computer programming and ran an IT consulting company for 15 years. He currently works with the Canadian Border Services Agency as a senior program officer. Nolan has also owned and operated a hemp farm in Scotland, Ont. and served as both vice-president and president of the Des Collines de l’Outaouais Minor Hockey Association.
In an email to THE EQUITY before he won the Conservative nomination, Nolan said his top priorities include local economic development and support for small businesses, improving housing accessibility, and improving the quality of life for seniors.
Former Conservative Party candidate Michel Gauthier won 20.6 per cent of this riding’s votes in the 2021 election.
Gilbert Whiteduck – New Democratic Party of Canada
Gilbert Whiteduck, former chief of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, was announced as the candidate for the NDP in Nov. 2024, after running uncontested.
He is the president of the Gatineau Valley Historical Society, has worked as a school principal, and served on the Kitigan Zibi band council before serving as chief for seven years. He is currently working as a therapist for First Nations and Inuit people with mental health and substance use disorders.
In a Nov. 2024 interview with THE EQUITY following Whiteduck’s announcement he would be running for the NDP’s nomination, he said his priorities include reducing homelessness and supporting farmers, who he sees as crucial drivers of the economy.
Former Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi NDP candidate Denise Giroux won 11 per cent of the vote in the 2021 election.