The CBC Decision Desk has projected Parti Québécois candidate Alex Boissonneault as the winner of the Centre-du-Québec riding of Arthabaska after Monday’s hotly contested byelection vote.

At 10:30 p.m., with about 96 per cent of the polls reporting, Boissonneault had a lead of over 3,500 votes on Éric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec.

Packed into the Resto-pub de la Microbrasserie L’Hermite in Victoriaville, Que., Boissonneault told Radio-Canada it was an extraordinary campaign, sending a message to Quebec and the government. 

During his victory speech, he went on to express excitement for the upcoming 2026 general election. He described the PQ as the true party of change. He said he plans on bringing that energy “you’ve already come to know” to the next 14 months, vowing to defend the residents and interests of his riding.

All smiles, PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon told the crowd his party will continue working to protect Quebec’s culture and language. 

“We are aware of the particularities of each region,” he said, explaining his party aims to defend everybody from across the province.

Boissoneault stayed well ahead of Duhaime throughout the night, and Keven Brasseur, with the Coalition Avenir Québec, even conceded early in the evening.

Quebec ‘disappointed with our government,’ Legault says

Premier François Legault spoke alongside his candidate, noting his party’s results in the riding fell well below the strong majority achieved in the previous elections.

“The fall in three years is exceptional,” he said, saying the CAQ obtained around 51 per cent of the vote in 2022. This evening, it received around seven per cent. 

“Quebecers are disappointed with our government,” he said, citing issues like Northvolt, SAAQclic and the state of public services.

Legault, however, also said he committed to changing things.

“We will look at ourselves in the mirror,” he said. “I will fight.”

The CAQ was trying to hold on to the riding it’s held since 2012. 

Duhaime, for his part, said a perfect campaign doesn’t exist, but his was the most positive. He said he wanted different results, but it was an strong effort.

“We’ve progressed over the years and we will continue to progress in the years to come,” he said. “I would like to thank the voters of the riding of Arthabaska.”

While his party is still not in the National Assembly, he vowed to continue pushing for change from the outside as they look forward to the 2026 battle.

Other candidates in the byelection included Chantale Marchand, with the Quebec Liberal Party, and Pascale Fortin, with Québec Solidaire.

The byelection was triggered in March when CAQ MNA Eric Lefebvre left provincial politics. He has since won the federal seat of Richmond—Arthabaska for the Conservative Party of Canada. 

The Arthabaska riding is known for having voter turnouts that are higher than the rest of the province.

In the 2022 Quebec election, the voter turnout in the province was 66 per cent. In Arthabaska, it was 74 per cent.

The riding’s voter turnout during this month’s advanced polling was 26.17 per cent.