 In the federal election that fell on January 23, 2006, Sauvageau garnered over 62% of the vote in his riding for a landslide victory over the Conservatives and the Liberals, who were still reeling from their political fallout from the sponsorship scandal.Admired for his warmth and good nature by friend and adversary alike, Sauvageau championed fiscal responsibility on the Public Accounts committee and the language rights of francophones on the Official Languages committee.Sauvageau died in a car accident in his riding of Repentigny on August 28, 2006, while on the way to a constituency event.