In the end, the fight was not so close in the riding of Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue, where CAQ member Daniel Bernard won with 45% of the vote, thus defeating the outgoing solidarity MP, Émilise Lessard-Therrien, who collected 30% of votes.
The issue of air quality and arsenic emissions from the Horne smelter has inflamed debates and divided the population. Throughout the campaign, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) accused Québec solidaire of tarnishing the image of the region by adopting an alarmist discourse.
“We have a public health problem that needs to be resolved for a neighborhood, [le quartier Notre-Dame]. But the rest of town is safe […] Rouyn, it’s not Chernobyl”, had launched Daniel Bernard at the To have to mid-campaign. The plan of the CAQ – which has obtained the consent of the Swiss multinational Glencore – is to reduce the release of arsenic from the Horne smelter to 15 ng/m3 within five years.
Quebec solidaire proposed, for its part, to force the multinational to respect the Quebec standard of 3 ng/m3 within four years. “The solution is not not to talk about it, but to settle [la situation] once and for all, summed up Émilise Lessard-Therrien. We deserve the same air quality as elsewhere in Quebec. »
The co-spokespersons of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Manon Massé, both went to lend a hand to the solidarity candidate during the campaign. In the last few days, François Legault had also moved to the riding, highly coveted by both parties.
The CAQ chief had declared that he did not rule out the idea of holding a referendum so that the population of Rouyn-Noranda could decide whether they accepted the plan to reduce emissions to 15 ng/m3 within five years or if it chooses to close the foundry, which employs several hundred workers. Glencore has never mentioned the option of closure itself.
A former Liberal MP under Jean Charest, Daniel Bernard represented voters in Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue from 2003 to 2007 and from 2008 to 2012. Last year, he became a municipal councilor for Rouyn-Noranda.
With this gain from the CAQ, Abitibi-Témiscamingue is now entirely painted in pale blue. Pierre Dufour, the outgoing Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, and Suzanne Blais were re-elected under the CAQ banner, respectively in Abitibi-Est and Abitibi-Ouest.