JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report
Nearly six months after coming up short in her bid for mayor of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Karine Lechasseur announced that she is stepping down as head of the municipal party Inspire Vaudreuil-Dorion late last month.
Her resignation was soon followed by the party’s announcement Monday that volunteer and candidate for council in last year’s election, Marie-Claude Nolin, would sit as Inspire Vaudreuil-Dorion’s interim leader until a permanent leader is elected in 2028. Her appointment was announced at the party’s first annual general meeting last Thursday.
“It is with great humility, but also with pride, that I have accepted this interim role until our members select the person who will lead us into the next election,” Nolin said in a statement. “For me, a city like ours deserves a political party that invites us to work together toward harmonious development built in partnership with the community.”
The party will launch its race for leadership candidates in 2027, official spokesperson Christiane Veillette said, emphasizing the election process will be done “with transparency, openness and in collaboration with our members.”
Lechasseur had originally announced her decision to step away from her role as leader of Inspire Vaudreuil-Dorion on April 22 through an open letter.
“I accepted this role with a clear intention: to devote myself fully to our city and contribute to its development,” reads the letter from Lechasseur, who is also a real estate agent. “I have decided to step down in order to refocus on my professional activities, while remaining committed to the development of our community.”
Lechasseur lost her bid for mayor in last November’s municipal election. Longtime councillor Paul Dumoulin won the mayor’s seat, with 59 per cent of the vote. Dumoulin replaced Guy Pilon as leader of the ruling Parti de l’action de Vaudreuil-Dorion. Pilon retired from politics after serving as mayor for 20 years.
Of the full slate of candidates presented, Inspire Vaudreuil-Dorion won two of the eight council seats. Jasmine Sharma retained her seat in District 3, while first-time candidate Vanessa Leduc won in District 7.
Nolin had run for the council seat in District 8 but was beaten by the Parti de l’action’s John McRae. She had received 45.6 per cent of the vote.
Prior to her run for mayor, Lechasseur had served as District 4 councillor, having been elected in 2021 as part of Pilon’s party.
In 2023, Lechasseur, along with fellow councillors Jasmine Sharma and Diane Morin, split from Pilon to sit as independent councillors, expressing that they were unsatisfied with what they felt was a lack of inclusion and collaboration on the part of the Parti de l’action.
Lechasseur and Sharma went on to launch Inspire Vaudreuil-Dorion, which was designated as an official municipal party in May 2025.
Local Journalism Initiative