Montreal byelection expected to test the Liberal party

Byelections rarely draw the kind of attention that has now put a spotlight on a vibrant and densely populated Montreal riding. The Monday vote in Lasalle-Ville Emard-Verdun, in the city’s southwest, is shaping up as a three-way race and a test of the strength of the Liberal party’s base.

Byelections rarely draw the kind of attention that has now put a spotlight on a vibrant and densely populated Montreal riding. The Monday vote in Lasalle-Ville Emard-Verdun, in the city’s southwest, is shaping up as a three-way race and a test of the strength of the Liberal party’s base.

Along Wellington Street, a pedestrian road lined with busy restaurants and shops, many voters walk past election posters and chat about the choice they face in an area that has long been a Liberal fortress.

“I don’t know yet, to tell you the truth,” says Philip Sarazan. “I am going to vote for sure, not for Poilievre (the Conservatives). But I am not sure I am going to vote for the Liberals. I did not like the way David was handled, he was tossed aside.”

Former Justice Minister David Lametti was first elected in the riding in 2015 and was dropped from cabinet in July 2023. He resigned earlier this year, triggering the election in Lasalle-Ville Emard-Verdun.

That was only the latest chapter in the storied history of the riding. The neighbourhood, where two-thirds of electors are renters, was represented by former Prime Minister Paul Martin for two decades and was considered a safe Liberal riding for many elections. In 2011, though, it fell to the NDP when the orange wave crashed through Quebec.

For many voters like Mary Folco, voting Liberal has become a habit. “I have always voted Liberal,” she says. “It is just the party I feel comfortable with.”

But this time, if the limited number of polls is to be believed, the byelection is shaping up as a three-way race, with the Liberals, NDP and the Bloc Quebecois in contention. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in the Montreal area today and spoke of what he says is at stake.