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Météo: Laval, 20 mars 2010 / 7°C / Couvert / Vents: 9 Km/h / Humidité relative: 70 %

A third mandate for Serge Ménard

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Article mis en ligne le 20 octobre 2008 à 9:20
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Serge Ménard, winner of a third straight mandate in Marc-Aureèe-Fortin. (Photo: Martin Alarie)

Serge Ménard was not worried about retaining his seat in Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, as numbers started coming in this past Tuesday evening. Result: a still comfortable win, although the vote share dropped to 45.4%, from the ‘true’ majority of 51% in 2006.

The incumbent Bloquiste MP drew 25,491 votes, nearly 12,000 more than his nearest rival, Liberal Robert Frégeau, whose vote count was 13,829 (24.6%).

“I look at the results as a great responsibility. I will work hard for the people of the riding,” Mr. Ménard confided after the election.

“The Liberals and the New Democrats made gains, but it was a comfortable victory. Door-to-door, the people told me they did not want to see a majority Conservative government,” Mr. Ménard added.

On a national scale, the third-time MP sees the election as a rejection of Stephen Harper's neo-liberal policies. “People don’t want a war on crime American-style, or the wide circulation of firearms. Mr. Harper doesn’t have the mandate to implement his party's most extreme projects. He’s going to have to apply policies that at least one other party believe in.”

Gilles Duceppe

Consequent to the election, some analysts are questioning the political future of BQ leader Duceppe. At 60 years of age, he’s just completed his sixth election. “It’s up to Mr. Duceppe to decide. He conducted an excellent campaign and he told us he would be sticking around.”

Robert Frégeau

Robert Frégeau expressed satisfaction over the support he garnered: “We took back second spot from the Conservatives and reduced Mr. Ménard’s majority,” said the Liberal candidate, who’s already looking ahead to his party’s spring convention (May, 2009). “There will certainly be questioning of the party’s leadership. I would have loved to advise prime minister Dion, a man of integrity with a collegial approach, but we have to accept that Quebecers and Canadians did not find what they were looking for in our party.” Mr. Frégeau foresees a leadership convention within the next year, in preparation for an election in 2010.

Other results

Conservative candidate Claude Moreau finished a distant third (7,769 votes, 13.8%), followed by NDPer Benoît Beauchamp (6,907 votes, 12.3%). The Green Party's Lise Bissonnette finished fifth (2,171 votes, 3.9%).

The turnout was brisk in Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, with a Laval-island high of 67% of the eligible voters casting ballots, compared with 59% across Canada.

Photo:AngSerge.jpg

(Photo: Martin Alarie)

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