Article content

QUEBEC — In another blow to the struggling Quebec Liberals, voters in the Quebec City riding of Jean-Talon have hopped aboard the governing Coalition Avenir Québec’s bandwagon.

After voting Liberal in every election since 1966, Jean-Talon flipped to the CAQ following a hard-fought byelection Monday to replace former cabinet minister Sébastien Proulx.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Liberals lose their only seat east of Montreal Back to video

Not only does the CAQ gain a 76th MNA in the legislature, but the crushing defeat means the Liberals take a big symbolic hit politically. Jean-Talon, which had voted Liberal 18 consecutive times, was the only seat the party still held east of Montreal following the 2018 election debacle.

Proulx clung to the riding by 1,363 votes then as the CAQ swept the province, but this time it was not to be. The CAQ wields virtually all the power in the provincial capital.

As of 10:30 p.m. Monday, with 150 of 158 polls reporting, CAQ candidate Joëlle Boutin, 40, a chief of staff to CAQ minister Éric Caire, had bagged 43.35 per cent of the vote with 8,740 votes and was declared the winner.