Voters head to the polls today in Gouin byelection

Voters in La Petite-Patrie and Rosemont will headto the polls today to decide who will be the next to represent the riding of Gouin in the National Assembly.

There are more than 44,000 eligible voters in the riding, according to the province's director general of elections (DGEQ). Just over seven per cent of them cast a ballot during the advance voting period.

The byelection was called after Franoise David, a co-founder of pro-sovereignist, left-wing Qubec Solidaire, announced in January that she wasleaving politics, effectiveimmediately.

David had represented the riding since 2012 and developed a strong base of support. She kept the seat in the 2014 election with 50 per cent of the votes cast in her favour.

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Before David's 2012 win, the seat had predominantly been held by the Parti Qubcois.

In February, the PQ said it would not put forward a candidate as a gesture of "good faith" towards Qubec Solidaire, in hopes the two parties would open discussions about a strategic alliance.

However, QubecSolidairemembers voted against working with the PQat the party's annual convention earlier this May.

Polling stations will be open Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

There are 13 candidates on the ballot. A full list can be found on the DGEQ website.

Here are the candidates who are running for parties that received more than one per cent of the popular vote in the 2014 general election.

Jonathan Marleau, Quebec Liberal Party

At 25 years old, Jonathan Marleau hasmade a name for himself within the Quebec Liberal Party. Marleau was the president of the Liberal's youth wing until he left the position this past spring to run in the byelection.

During his time as head of the youth wing, members pushed the provincial government to create a commission that would examine systemic racism in Quebec.

Marleau, who is currently a student at Universit du Qubec Montral(UQAM), was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and grew up in in the Chaudire-Appalachesregion.

He hopes to capitalize on the growing tension between the Parti Qubcois and Qubec Solidaire to win the seat.

"There is a lot of supporters of the Parti Qubcois that are disappointed or angry," said Marleau, who invitedthose voters to consider him as an option to represent their riding.

Benjamin Blair, Coalition Avenir Qubec

Benjamin Blair has been a member of the CAQ since itwas created in 2011. According to the party, he has put forward a number of ideas that have become part of their platform.

Blair, 39, is a philosophy professor at Collge Montmorency and holds several master's and doctorate degrees.

When announcing his candidacy, Blair said he wanted to make inroads for the CAQ with residents and share some of their platform promises such as a tax cut of $1,000 for families.

In the 2014 general election, the CAQ finished fourth in Gouin with nearly nine per cent of the vote.

Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, Qubec Solidaire

GabrielNadeau-Dubois is a newcomer to Qubec Solidaire, but has quickly moved to the top of the party's ranks.

It was only this past March that he announced his intentionto run for the party in Gouin and become its next co-spokesperson. Just two weeks later, the party's members votedyes on both counts.

Nadeau-Dubois, 26, rose to prominence duringthe student unrest of 2012 as one of theleaders who spoke for the movement.

He hopes the support shown for QubecSolidaire co-founder Franoise David will carry over into this byelection.

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"The message there we're sending is we are here to continue the work ofFranoise David," said Nadeau-Dubois.

"To continue her work and make sure the principals, the values, thesocial project that she was defending, will still be defended by Qubec Solidaire."