Closer than expected but Laval stays Liberal

Although the ADQ wave that swept the province was not as intense in Laval, it's clear that change was a strong source of motivation for many of those who voted. Except for Laval-des-Rapides where péquiste Marc Demers scored 29.97% of the vote to finish second, the other four ridings experienced a strong ADQ surge which landed Mario Dumont's candidates in second place.

This fundamental shift in voter allegiance was evident even in Chomedey and Fabre, where low-key campaigns by ADQ candidates Phani Papachristou and Patrick Pilotte drew enough support to have them finish second to the Liberals but ahead of the PQ.

In Fabre, Patrick Pilotte came very close to unseating incumbent Michelle Courchesne, Minister Responsible for Laval and Minister of Employment and social solidarity, finishing just 1,234 votes behind.

In an analysis all votes cast in the five ridings, the ADQ is shown to have doubled its support from that of 2003. The Liberals, by contrast, saw both their vote totals and their percentage share dip considerably.

In Mille-Îles, Maurice Clermont's support dropped from 50% in 2003 to 38.7% in 2007. In Fabre, Laval-des-Rapides and Vimont, the Liberals suffered a drop of 10 percentage points.

Of the five re-elected Liberals, the slimmest majority was registered by cabinet minister Courchesne.