Nearly 27,000 voters cast their ballots during the advance polling period over the Easter long weekend in the Beauharnois-Salaberry-Soulanges-Huntingdon (BSSH) riding.
The elevated numbers are consistent with those reported from polling stations across the country, as Elections Canada says the number of people who took advantage of advance voting in the federal election broke records. An estimated 7.3 million ballots were cast, marking a 25 per cent increase from the advance votes cast during the 2021 election.
Locally, there are 103,091 voters officially registers on the electoral list in the BSSH riding, and approximately one quarter have already voted. Voter turnout in the 2021 election was 62.6 per cent, with around 3,380 fewer votes cast in advance.
Informative debate broadcast locally
While some BSSH voters flocked to the polls, others may have chosen to wait until after hearing the riding candidates during an April 23 debate, which aired across local media platforms.
All six registered candidates participated, including incumbent Bloq Québécois representative Claude DeBellefeuille, Liberal candidate Miguel Perras, New Democratic Party candidate Tyler Jones, Conservative Party representative Priska St-Pierre, Green Party candidate Kristian Solarik, and People’s Party of Canada representative Martin Lévesque.
The debate, which took place at the Pavillon Wilson in Coteau-du-Lac, focused on four main subjects including culture and identity, the economy, the environment, and immigration.
Each of the candidates were invited to respond to questions posed by representatives of local media outlets hosting the event, which included Csur la Télé, the Journal Saint-François and Gravité Média, Néomédia, and Viva Média. The debate was also broadcast live on The Gleaner website.
The debate, which took place in French, can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/_dKKOMTL034. (SR)