Saint-Maurice—Champlain

Saint-Maurice—Champlain stretches across the Mauricie region of central Quebec, following the Saint-Maurice River northward from the outskirts of Trois-Rivières into the Laurentian highlands. The riding encompasses the city of Shawinigan, the regional county municipalities of Les Chenaux and Mékinac, and the vast territory of La Tuque—extending deep into the boreal forest. Created in 2003, it is a geographically large riding where the southern agricultural parishes along the St. Lawrence contrast sharply with the forested, sparsely populated northern interior. The riding has a population of approximately 112,000, with Shawinigan (population roughly 50,000) serving as the principal population centre.

Candidates

François-Philippe Champagne (Liberal) Born in 1970, Champagne holds a Bachelor of Laws from the Université de Montréal, a Master of Laws from Case Western Reserve University, and studied international law at The Hague Academy of International Law. Before entering politics, he spent over 20 years in the private sector as a lawyer and international trade specialist at major European firms, serving as Vice-President and Senior Counsel of ABB Group and in senior roles at Amec Foster Wheeler. Named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2009, he speaks English, French, and Italian. First elected in 2015, he served as Minister of International Trade, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Minister of Foreign Affairs before becoming Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry in 2021.

Jacynthe Bruneau (Bloc Québécois) A nurse with over 20 years of clinical experience, Bruneau served as vice-president of the FIQ healthcare workers' union for the Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec region. She oversaw the union's Women's Conditions division and sat on the board of the Coalition of Social Forces. She had previously run as a Parti Québécois candidate in the 2018 provincial election.

Jacques Bouchard (Conservative) Bouchard, a retiree from the federal civil service, ran as the Conservative candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Shawinigan's identity is inseparable from hydroelectric power and the Saint-Maurice River. The city's waterfalls attracted major industrial investment in the early twentieth century, and Shawinigan became known as the "City of Electricity"—home to aluminum smelters, chemical plants, and one of Quebec's earliest hydroelectric generating stations. The Cité de l'énergie, an interactive museum and science centre devoted to the history of hydroelectricity, stands as a testament to this industrial heritage. Shawinigan is also the hometown of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, whose political career brought sustained federal attention to the Mauricie region.

The northern portion of the riding, centred on La Tuque, is defined by forestry and the boreal landscape. The Saint-Maurice River corridor connects Shawinigan to La Tuque over 130 kilometres of navigable waterway, passing through forests managed for pulp and paper, lumber, and biomass production. La Tuque is the largest municipality in Quebec by area, and its economy depends on forest products and the outdoor recreation sector. The Atikamekw First Nation community of Wemotaci is located within the riding, and relations between Indigenous communities and the resource sector are an ongoing local concern.

Health care access is a significant challenge across the riding. The vast distances between communities in the northern portion mean residents of Mékinac and La Tuque often travel long distances for specialist care. Shawinigan's hospital serves a wide regional catchment, and physician recruitment has been a persistent difficulty. The riding's economic base has diversified since the decline of heavy industry, with tourism, small manufacturing, and the service sector playing growing roles, but median incomes remain below the provincial average.