Advanced voting for the LaSalle-Émard-Verdun federal byelection is underway in Montreal.
Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh was in Montreal to back candidate Craig Sauvé.
This comes after a significant week in politics in which Singh ended the supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals on Wednesday which means a federal election could happen in fall.
At a press conference on Friday at Remembrance Park in Verdun, Singh criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government for their inability to address the rising costs of living, specifically groceries and rent. “Justin Trudeau and the Liberals are too weak and too beholden to corporate interests to actually take on the corporate grievance driving up the cost of living. That’s why we ripped up the agreement,” said Singh.
Sauvé who’s been a municipal councillor in Sud-Ouest since 2013, stressed his commitment to tackling housing affordability. “I learned about governance I’ve learned about how to get things done and I’m absolutely shocked about the inaction we’ve seen from the Liberal government on questions like housing.”
At a Verdun polling station, many voters were already in line by early afternoon, with over 200 ballots cast.
One voter shared their choice, saying, “I voted for the NDP it was Craig Sauvé in our riding, primarily because I’ve always been a long NDP supporter but like I agree with their social politics more than anything else.”
Another voter expressed their preference for the Bloc Québécois, stating, “I’m part of the people that believe that the smaller the structures around me the better I feel and I don’t like having layers upon layers of governments.”
The riding in Montreal’s southwest has traditionally been a Liberal stronghold. It was held by former cabinet minister David Lametti from 2015 until his resignation earlier this year. This byelection will see Sauvé, Liberal candidate Laura Palestini, Bloc Québécois candidate Louis-Philippe Sauvé, and Conservative candidate Louis Ialenti vying for the seat.
“I think it’s important to send a message,” said the voter.
Advance voting runs from Sept. 6 to Sept. 9 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. and the deadline to apply to vote by mail is Sept. 10.