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Nunavik federal race shapes up

Candidates line up to challenge the Bloc's Yvan Lévesque

JANE GEORGE

For the first time in 25 years, Guy St-Julien, the longtime MP for the Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou riding, who represented both the Liberals and Conservatives in Parliament, is sitting out an election.

For the Liberals, there's a new candidate: Armand Caouette, the nephew of well-known Quebec leader Réal Caouette.

Caouette represented the provincial "Créditiste" party as an MLA during the 1970s and ran unsuccessfully for the federal Conservative Party in 1997.

He plans a campaign based on economic development, tourism and the importance of young people in the riding.

In spite of the negative impact the Gomery Commission and sponsorship scandal have had in Quebec, Caouette has said he wouldn't run if he didn't think he had a good chance of winning.

His cousin, Roger Caouette, is the mayor of Rouyn-Noranda.

The mayor of Val d'Or, Fernand Trahan, was also expected to announce his candidacy this week as an independent.

The mayors' chief competitor will be Yvan Lévesque, who has represented the Bloc Québécois in the riding since the last federal election 14 months ago.

Neil Drabkin, a Montreal lawyer, is running for the Conservatives. Several other parties are expected to announce candidates in the riding as well.

In the last election the BQ received 12,503 votes or 45.01 per cent of the ballots cast, while the Liberals received 12,067 votes or 43.44 per cent.

In Nunavik, St-Julien received 1,720 votes, or about 71 per cent; Lévesque's support in Nunavik was only about nine per cent.

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