Liberal Chagnon scores easy victory in Westmount-St. Louis

Even though Chagnon won with 13,311 votes, far outdistancing his four challengers, it was about 5,000 ballots fewer than the result he obtained in the 2003 Quebec general election.

In that election, as in many others previous to it, the Parti Québécois set a pattern in Westmount-St. Louis by consistently finishing a distant second with more than 10 per cent of the votes.

However, in Monday's election, the Green Party, represented in Westmount-St. Louis by Patrick Daoust, set a new precedent by finishing in second place with more than 2,500 votes.

The PQ dropped to third spot just ahead of the Action Démocratique. The left-of-centre Québec Solidaire and the Marxist-Leninist Party brought up the rear.

In an interview at his campaign headquarters Monday night, Chagnon reflected on the Liberals' reversal of fortune, the ADQ's surge to second place across the province, and the reduction of the PQ as a political force. While noting that ADQ leader Mario Dumont has become a recognizable figure, Chagnon pointed out that virtually everyone else in his party remains unknown.

"I am surprised tonight at this hour about the impact of the ADQ all over Quebec," he said, adding that he had predicted the ADQ would win no more than 25 seats. "But now they seem to be much stronger." In view of the fact the Liberals will now rule as a minority government, Chagnon said he was anticipating that Quebecers will be heading back to the polls within a year.

Chagnon suggested a federal election, expected to be called soon, could also end with "some surprises" and that the PQ's poor performance in this provincial election is "not good news" for the Bloc Québécois. "But as it's not good news for the Bloc, it could possibly be good news for the Conservatives," he said.

The morning after the election, the Greens' Daoust, who had predicted his party would surge ahead of the PQ in the riding, said he was "fairly satisfied" with the outcome. "I really wanted to come in second, because coming in second really changes the psychological effect.

"The Green Party now becomes the alternative to the Liberals in Westmount and I think that's going to really help us for the next election. Considering the fact that we have a minority government, people are going to feel freer to vote for the Green Party than I think they have so far in the past."

Assessing Quebec's new political landscape, Daoust said he hoped the ADQ acts responsibly. "They've got a lot of new people in government that didn't expect to get elected, don't have any political experience," he said. "So that's an issue. I think there's a lot of weight upon Mario Dumont's shoulders now. That's certainly very clear.

"I think the way that people voted speaks of the insatisfaction with the two traditional political parties and the whole fact that both of them are rattling the cage with the idea of the sovereignty issue — either you're against or for.

"People have obviously become quite fed up with that question and want other options," Daoust added. "In Quebec as a whole, people voted for the ADQ somewhat as a protest vote, but I think also largely because they just don't feel at all satisfied with the two traditional parties. And in Westmount some of that vote came to me."