Trudeau loses 2nd Liberal stronghold as Bloc wins Montreal byelection
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has suffered another devastating byelection blow with the loss of a second Liberal stronghold, this one to the Bloc Québécois in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun.
Voters went to the polls Monday in the Montreal riding as well as in Winnipeg’s Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP retained its long-held seat after a tough race against the Conservatives.
Trudeau already faced calls from party faithful to resign as leader after unexpectedly losing Toronto—St. Paul’s to the Conservatives in a byelection this past June.
Longtime Liberal supporter and strategist Andrew Perez called this new loss “yet another nail in Justin Trudeau’s coffin.”
While byelections aren’t usually credited with much significance on Parliament Hill, the votes in Winnipeg and Montreal were viewed as bellwethers of the political shifts happening in Canada.
“If Trudeau’s Liberals can’t hold this safe seat, it will spell even bigger trouble for the party’s prospects in Quebec and across Canada in a critical election year,” Perez said in a statement before the final vote.
Bloc Québécois supporters in Montreal shouted and jumped up and down so hard the floor shook at news of their victory, some with Quebec flags draped around their shoulders.
The Bloc was locked in a tight three-way race with the Liberals and the NDP right up until the final poll was reported.
“We are here and we work hard because we believe in the interests of Quebec and we believe in independence,” the Bloc candidate Louis-Philippe Sauvé said before the final votes were counted.
Elections Canada reported all 187 polls early Tuesday, showing the Bloc won the seat just 248 votes ahead of the Liberals.
The Montreal seat opened up when former justice minister David Lametti left
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