Article content

An NDP member of Parliament who famously took a trip to Las Vegas during the 2011 election campaign held her seat on Monday.

Ruth Ellen Brosseau, 31, was re-elected in Berthier-Maskinongé, Que., Monday with 42 per cent support. The Bloc Québécois, which had held the riding from 1993, trailed Brosseau on Monday at 26 per cent.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Former Carleton pub worker Brosseau re-elected in Quebec riding Back to video

Before the 2011 election, Brosseau had helped manage a pub at Carleton University, did not speak French well, and had travelled to Las Vegas during the campaign to celebrate her birthday.

When the NDP approached her to put her name on the ballot, she hesitated.

“I wasn’t too sure, but finally I agreed because I wanted people in this area to be able to vote for the NDP,” she said last year.

After her win, Brosseau — who had never set foot in the area until after her election — said she retreated into the riding, meeting mayors and business owners, while avoiding the glare of the Ottawa press corps.

“I guess my voice is important in the House of Commons because some people see that I’m not the cookie-cutter politician,” she said this summer.

A single mother, Brosseau often raised issues like childcare in Parliament. She is now one of the few Quebec MPs swept into the province during 2011’s Orange Crush to hold onto her seat.

“In 2011, you voted for Jack. But this time, you voted for Ruth Ellen,” she told a crowd of supporters Monday.