Vincent Auclair reelected in Vimont

His impressive resume did not make any difference for Mr. Brien, who represented the Bloc québécois in Ottawa between 1993 and 2003 and served as advisor to Mario Dumont and chief of staff of Quebec's Official Opposition in 2007-2008. His vote share (11.6%) did not even top the list of ADQ candidates in Laval, with that distinction going to Tom Pentefountas, who edged him out with a share of 11.9% in Fabre.

"In 2007, the ADQ wave was a caution sign, a message from the people. In a year and a half, we accomplished some concrete measures," said the reelected Mr. Auclair, adding that "90% of the ballots come from the voters' perception of the leader of a party." The fact that Jean Charest "listened more" during his last mandate had an impact, according to Mr. Auclair.

"I didn't have any expectations," said Rachel Demers, PQ candidate in Vimont, who looks at the vote totals as a victory for her party.

Would a more aggressive campaign not have generated greater shake-ups in some Laval ridngs? Lack of funding, inexperienced workers, and a week's delay in launching the campaign in the region did not help, said Mrs. Demers.

Mr. Auclair, on the other hand, believes that the federal crisis played into the hands of the sovereignists. "I'm a federalist, and I don't like to hear about gratuitous attacks against Quebec. I can imagine the effect this had on citizens. I believe it cost us votes."