Sophie Chatel elected in Pontiac riding

Liberal Sophie Chatel has been elected in the Pontiac riding.

CBCNews projects Chatel, a careercivil servant, will keep the riding red. Shereplaced Liberal MP Will Amos as the candidate in this election.

Last election, Amos won nearly 49 per cent of the vote.

Despitethe riding in flux after Amos said he wouldn'trun again, the ConservativecandidateMichel Gauthier, former editor-in-chief of Le Droit, was not able to sway voters blue.

TheBloc Qubcoisran university studentGabrielle Desjardinsranand union lawyerDenise Girouxranfor theNDPin the riding the only returning candidate in Pontiac.

Canada's Fourth Front co-leader James McNairalso ran, along withGenevieve Labont-Chartrand for the Free Party, David Gottfred for the People's Party, and Shaughn McArthur for the Greens.

Pontiac covers 30,586 square kilometres, stretching from Gatineau to an area about 200 kilometres north of Maniwaki, Que., andincludestownssuch as Chelsea, Fort-Coulongeand the Algonquin community of Kitigan Zibi.

Nearly a quarter of its residents say English is their mother tongue, while 13 per cent say they have Indigenous heritage.