Philippe Couillard wins in Roberval, Liberals surge into power

Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard has won his seat in Roberval and led his party to an election victory.

Tonight all of Quebec has won by giving itself a stable government,- Philippe Couillard, Liberal leader and Quebec premier-elect

"What a beautiful victory. What pride.Thank you, thank you to each and every one of you!" Couillard said during his victory speech to a packed room in Roberval.This wasCouillardsfirst race in hisSaguenay-areahome-riding.

"Tonight all of Quebec has won by giving itself a stable government," he said.

Couillardsaid he would be the premier for allQuebecersand unite the population.

"We are allQuebecers. We should all focus on what brings us together what unites us makes us stronger. Let us say together with passion: Noussommestousfiersd'tresQubcois... My dear friends,the division isover.Reconciliationhas arrived.From nowon, let's all work together forthe purpose ofQuebec."

Economy and jobs

Throughout this campaign, Couillard focused on the economy, saying its time for the province to return to a period of prosperity.

Couillard has promised to create 250,000 jobs across Quebec and phase out the health tax if the Liberals govern. He also said a federalist government would encourage economic stability.

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Parti Qubcois Leader Pauline Marois accused Couillard of fearmongering throughout the campaign for hammering away at the sovereignty issue.

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Language and corruption

Couillard took a hit in the middle of the campaign during the second French-language televised debate, where he addressed the language debate and defended bilingualism.

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Couillards rivals also tried to highlight his connections with Arthur Porter, who is accused of being at the heart of a fraud scandal involving the $1.3-billion McGill University Health Centre superhospital project in Montreal.

Before the legislature was dissolved, Couillard, a Montreal-native, represented Outremont a seat he won in a byelection in December 2013.

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Since 2003,Couillard has served as Quebecs health minister for five years in JeanCharestsgovernment.

Couillard quit the National Assembly in 2008, but returned to politics in 2012 when he threw his hat in the ring to become the next party leader after Charests defeat.

The Liberals came into this campaign as the official opposition party, with 50 seats a significant drop from the 66 seats they held after a 2008 majority government victory.

In this election, the party got about 41 per cent of the popular vote up 10 per cent from 2012.