Conservatives more than double seat count in Quebec - Action News
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Conservatives more than double seat count in Quebec

The Conservatives' final tally in Quebec is 12 seats, including the coveted Louis-St-Laurent riding

12-seat final tally in Quebec a rare bright spot in a night of losses for Stephen Harper

Conservative candidate Grard Deltell (right) won the race in Louis-Saint-Laurent with 51 per cent support from voters. (CBC)

While the Conservative Party dropped to official opposition status in Canada, it managed to more than double its seat count in Quebec, holding ontoits base offive ridings and adding seven more, all at the expense of the NDP.

The first Conservativewinner, announced soon after polls closed, was the party's star candidate,Grard Deltell,in the riding ofLouisSt-Laurent.

Deltellspoke late Monday evening, telling reporters he was disappointedwith the Liberal Party's victorybut pleased with the outcome in the Quebec City region.

"I'm a democratic guy. For sure I would have wished another situation a Conservative governmentbut people decided something else...You can count on me to push our platform in the House of Commons," Deltell said.

Deltell, a former television broadcaster and anMNA for seven years,announced in April that he was stepping down from theCoalition AvenirQubecto run for the Conservatives in the federal election.

The Conservatives had set their sights on taking the riding backfrom the NDP, which washed away parts of the Quebec City region the province's only traditionalConservative strongholdin the 2011 Orange Wave.

The Conservativesmade gainsat the NDP's expensein:

  • Beauport-Limoilou
  • Beauport-Cte-de-Beaupr-le d'Orlans-Charlevoix
  • Charlesbourg-Haute-Saint-Charles
  • Louis-Saint-Laurent
  • Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Rivire-du-Loup
  • Portneuf-Jacques-Cartier
  • Richmond-Arthabaska

The party held onto all five ridings it already had coming intothiselection:

  • Beauce
  • Bellechasse-Les Etchemins-Lvis
  • Lac-St-Jean
  • Lvis-Lotbinire
  • Mgantic-L'rable

LouisSt-Laurent -Conservative gain

This was oneof the few urban Quebec ridings where Conservatives have been elected in recent history. But italso saw the Orange Wave wash away its incumbent in 2011.

ConservativeJoseVernerrepresented the riding from2006 to 2011, holding the portfolios forofficial languages, international cooperation and Canadian heritage at various pointsduring her tenure.

She lost to theNDP'sAlexandrineLatendresse, a student and former child actor, by 1,195 votes, who did not run in this election.

With the riding up for grabs, both the NDP and the Conservatives wererunning heavyweight candidates.

The NDP candidate, diplomat Daniel Caron,served astheCanadian ambassadortoUkraine.

Deltellwas both a television personality and a Coalition Avenir QubecMNA in Quebec's National Assembly, stepping down toseekfederal office.

BeauportCte-de-Beauprle-d'OrlansCharlevoix

NDP incumbentJonathan Tremblaylost this hotly contested race toformer Conservative MP Sylvie Boucher, who won it back by a margin of 3,459 votes.

The riding, formerly calledMontmorencyCharlevoixHaute-Cte-Nord, was swept in the Orange Wave last time around with the NDP eking outa win by about 1,000 votes.

But it hadbeen solid Bloc territoryin both 2006and 2008 both times with 49 per cent of the vote. The Bloc candidate this time,SbastienDufour, finished well behind, with less than 20 per cent of the vote.

BeauportLimoilou - Conservative gain

Conservative candidateAlupaClarke stole the seat away from the NDP Monday night in another tight race.

With all222 polls counted, Clarke won by 2,600 votes, with just six votes separatingthe NDP incumbent in second place, Raymond Ct, and theLiberals' Antoine Bujold in third.

The NDP won over BeauportLimoilou in 2011 with 46 per cent of the popular vote, burying the Conservatives in that election, who came in 10,000 votes behind.In 2006, this riding, which includes the eastern part of Quebec City, went to the Conservativesby a mere900 votes. It was a tight race again in 2008, with the Conservativestaking the seat from the Bloc by 2,000 votes.

CharlesbourgHaute-Saint-Charles - Conservative gain

This riding, which includes the northeast part of Quebec City, belonged to the Conservativesin 2006 and 2008.Before that, it was held by the Bloc Qubcois.

The tidechanged in 2011 the BQ came in a distant third, and the NDP stole the seat away from the Conservatives, winning 45 per cent of the vote.

Now it's darkblue again. The Conservative candidate PierrePaul-Hus won handily, by a margin of 10,927 votes. The Liberals trailed far behind in second place, and the NDP came in third.

Louis-Hbert - Liberalgain

For the first time since 1984, the riding of Louis-Hbert has gone to the Liberals.

CandidateJolLightbound was elected with a4,678 vote lead over the Conservatives' Jean-Pierre Asselin.

Voters in the riding have kept swinging over the years.The riding, which includes the western part of Quebec City, has voted for three different parties in the last three elections.

In 2006, it came down to the wire for theConservative Party, which took the riding from the Bloc by about only 200 votes.

In 2008, constituents went back to the Bloc Qubcois. But three years later, in 2011, the NDP won by a comfortable margin of about 8,000 votes. This year, the NDP came in third, with just 20 per cent of the vote.

Quebec - Liberal gain

From orange to red:The riding of Quebec, which consists of the central part of Quebec City, was swept in the Orange Wave four years ago. It was a big win for the NDP. The party managed to take the riding away from the Bloc Qubcois, which had been in power there since 1993.

Now it belongs to the Liberals. The race was close, with Liberal candidateJean-Yves Duclos squeaking pasttheNDP'sAnnickPapillon by 1 075 votes when the final tally was in.

DisappointmentasLiberal government declared

At La Cage Aux Sports pub, where Conservative supporters gathered Monday night after polls closed,there was no reaction from the crowd when various media outletsdeclared a Liberal government.

"We are very, very disappointed," said 17-year-oldRoseanneGarneau."It's very discouraging,"she said.