City councillor Laura Palestini will run for the Liberals in the Montreal riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun in a byelection, providing another test for Justin Trudeau’s party after recently failing to hold on to another stronghold in downtown Toronto.
In a statement announcing her nomination, the Liberal Party of Canada said Palestini had demonstrated “her ability to achieve concrete results for her neighbours.”
Liberal Party President Sachit Mehra recently attacked Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, accusing him of wanting to “make massive services cuts that Quebecers count on.”
Palestini says she plans to “build more housing and protect tenants, strengthen our public health care system, fight climate change while creating new, good-paying jobs, and ensure that every member of our community has a fair chance at success.”
The LaSalle—Émard—Verdun seat was left vacant after David Lametti resigned on Jan. 31.
Before resigning, Lametti won three consecutive elections starting in 2015, which is when the riding was created.
In the previous election, he was re-elected with 42.9 per cent of the vote. The Bloc Québécois received 22.1 per cent of the vote and the NDP candidate came in third with 19.4 per cent.
No date has been set for the byelection.
The Conservatives have not announced their candidate, but Montreal city councillor Craig Sauvé will be running for the NDP.
Jency Mercier will represent the Green Party.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews