MONTREAL — In the final stretch of a Montreal byelection campaign widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership, the Liberal candidate wants people to focus on her — not her leader.
The byelection in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun should have been Laura Palestini’s to lose. The area has been a Liberal bastion, by and large, for decades. A diverse riding in Montreal's southwest, it has a large anglophone population with strong Italian roots in some neighbourhoods.
“It’s about me. It’s not about the PM,” she said. “I will let myself be the … prime focus of this election.” Palestini is well known in LaSalle. A lifelong resident, she has been a municipal councillor for 19 years. Élisabeth and Yannick, a couple with young children, said they’re happy with the services in the neighbourhood, including a new library and skate park. They cast their ballots for Palestini in the advance polls.
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet was in the riding Wednesday with a delegation of MPs, urging supporters not to get complacent. “It’s certain that if the Bloc Québécois wins in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, it will send a very strong message to Ottawa,” said Bloc candidate Louis-Philippe Sauvé. Nevertheless, a loss in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun would sound a dire warning for the Liberals, especially after they lost another former stronghold to the Conservatives in a Toronto byelection in June. That surprise defeat prompted calls for Trudeau to step aside, though he has insisted he will lead the party into the next election, which could happen anytime in the coming year.
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