NDP wins Liberal riding, Tories take seat from Bloc

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion lost his first electoral test Monday night as the NDP won the Montreal riding of Outremont, while the Conservatives took a seat from the Bloc Quebecois.

In the hotly-contested Outremont riding, NDP candidate Thomas Mulcair managed to maintain his lead over Liberal hopeful Jocelyn Coulon, who had been hand-picked by Dion.

Despite the loss, Dion remained defiant as he addressed Coulon's supporters.

"We don't know when, but there will be general elections and we will win them," he vowed.

Dion then added: "The results of these byelections are not what we hoped for, but with every setback we have the opportunity to learn and grow."

It's only the second time the Liberals have lost the riding since 1935, and analysts said the loss could raise serious questions about Dion's leadership.

One anonymous Liberal MP pointed out to The Canadian Press that the Liberals' current seat-count in Quebec -- 12 of 75 -- is the lowest since Confederation.

"There are going to have to be changes in the leader's entourage," said the MP.

Meanwhile, Conservative candidate Denis Lebel took a commanding lead in the Bloc stronghold of Roberval-Lac-Saint-Jean, eventually taking the seat.

And in the riding of Saint Hyacinthe-Bagot, east of Montreal, the Bloc Quebecois held the riding, with candidate Eve-Mary Thai Thi Lac beating Tory hopeful Bernard Barre.

Dion had helped Coulon campaign in Outremont this past weekend, and brought along two high-profile party members for added help: Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden and Justin Trudeau.

But Mulcair mounted a strong challenge against Coulon, and polls released last week had shown him leading.

Monday night's results clearly show a wounded leader in Dion, CTV Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife said.

"Not only did the Liberals fail to hold on to one of the safest Liberal ridings in the country, in Outremont -- outside of Montreal they came in with less than 10 per cent of the vote in a purely francophone riding."

"This is very bad news for the Liberals, and what it says to the rest of the country is, if you have a Quebec leader who can't win in Quebec, why would people in Ontario and the rest of the country vote for Mr. Dion?"

As for the Tories, who won 60 per cent of the vote in Roberval-Lac-Saint-Jean and came in a strong second in the Hyacinth riding:

"What it shows here is that the Liberal party is marginalized outside of Montreal, and it now comes down to the Conservatives as a real federalist force in Quebec outside of Montreal against the separatist Bloc Quebecois."

In the 2006 federal election, the Tories came in second in about 40 ridings outside of Montreal.

Monday's victory marks only the second seat the New Democrats have ever held in Quebec.

"Today, Quebec has chosen a new direction," NDP Leader Jack Layton told supporters in Outremont, and praised them for "making history and changing the direction of politics in Quebec and across Canada."

In the morning, accompanied by Layton, Mulcair had said winning the riding would represent an important milestone for the party.

"For the future we are hoping that what people see here now about the NDP is something that we are going to be able to take to the ballot box, not only in the election here in Quebec but the rest of Canada as well, as people realize we are a national party with representation everywhere," he said.

The Conservatives now hold 126 seats in Parliament, while the Liberals have 96, the Bloc 49 and the NDP 30.

Three seats are held by Independent MPs and four remain vacant.

With reports from CTV Montreal's Herb Luft and Stephane Giroux

Comments are now closed for this story

Cody
said

First off all these Conservative and Harper bashers, open your eyes and look where this country is today. When the Conservatives took power they showed and are continuing to show Canadians that we all can trust government again. The election was 20 months ago enough with the whining and excuses, Stephen is our PM and if I may say he is doing a great job. As for tonight's byelections none of which went the Liberals' way, they will shape our current political landscape until the next election. The Conservative win in Roberval, a sovereignist stronghold projects the new fight for Quebec between the Conservatives and the Bloc. Congrats to the NDP and Thomas Mulcair as they made some history tonight. Also congrats to Jack Layton who finally wins a seat in Quebec. As for the Liberals and Stephane Dion, they are on the down slide and whenever the elction is they may need something short of a miracle to not lose a lot more in Quebec. If Dion can't win seats or even keep seats in his native province, I from somewhere else would not feel comfortble voting for him, knowing this.
Good Night.

Mark
said

I'm just glad to see that the PQ have made a comeback on the provincial scene under the leadership of Mme. Marois. In a few years it won't matter what Harper does to the ROC.

allan
said

I knew Dion could not communicate in English, but now looks like he cannot even communicate in his native French.
3 strikes--you're out!!

Cindy Lee
said

Great news for Harper. Dion is nothing but a lame duck. Jack Layton was camped out in Montreal, while Dion was trying to win voters in another province.

Ian
said

If a Conservative victory in Lac St-Jean, which has been a virtual Bloc and PQ (prov) fortress doesn't speak volumes, then nothing does. Dion is so hated in Francophone Quebec, that they'd rather vote for Conservative party. Unless I'm not giving them enough credit that is, and should be congratulating them for finally coming to their senses. The Liberal spin doctors can do their best, but this is a major voctory for Mr. Harper.

Greg
said

People here keep saying "look how centralist Harper is and how he isn't so big and bad and scary". Well if you read between the lines and his actions and words, one can easily see if he had majority trouble we would be in big trouble. The Conservatives and an amalgam of the Alliance and the Conservative but are really becoming Reform. Please be wary in how you look at this party. And yes I WAS a Progressive Conservative supported for many years.

Cocin
said

Voting for the NDP is suicidal. This is a party of yokels and while I understand that a protest vote needs to be made against the Liberals, the NDP is not a wise choice.

Stephen
said

I find it funny how they say the Liberals chose Dion because he was a Quebecer and that would boost their support in Quebec, despite the fact Ignatieff was by far more popular than the top four leadership contenders in the province.

kevin
said

If the Tories were so confident in quebec why did Senator Fortier not run in Outremont where he lives.

frozen
said

Just want to point out before too many start babbling about it. Health care in Canada is NOT a right. Otherwise it would be in the charter of rights and freedoms.

omer
said

Harper needs Quebec to win a majority government. With Mario Dumont as the Premier-to-be of Quebec, it is evident that a right wing movement is beginning in Quebec. Next Federal Election, Conservatives will take both the Liberals' and Bloc's seats.

B.V.
said

I fail to see how Harper is "too far" to the right. He's an intelligent man- he knows the centre is where the votes are are, and so the party is appealing to the middle class. I'm very much liking his policies. It's so refreshing to see leadership for a change.

Manboy
said

The only way the Liberals could have prevented this would have been to elect Bob Rae as their leader. Bob would have been able to keep the NDP oriented voters safely in the Liberal fold. The move is now afoot by the NDP to displace the liberals as the main opposition to the conservatives. There is a strong left of centre undercurrent in Quebec that only finds focus in the PQ and the Bloq right now. But soon they will see the NDP as a real credible alternative. I predict that one day Bob Rae will switch back to the NDP.

Ian
said

The NDP is in an enviable position. They can make as many pie in the sky policy announcements as they like, knowing full well that they'll never have to make good on any of them, since they'll never be in power. The real test of a party is being able to make tough decisions, knowing that they are going to get hammered no matter which way they turn. I agree with one of the other posters here. Stephen Harper has not done anything "scary" as far as I'm concerned. He just wants to change the way things had been done over the past 13 years and breathe some new life into our country.

John Z
said

Why's everyone saying that if Jocelyn looses, Dion's a bad leader? Dion's a great leader, and if the Quebecers don't see that, then vote for the NDP.

RICK
said

So the Liberal Party of Toronto and Vancouver can't make inroads in Quebec when the have a 'native' son as leader. For all those Liberal apologists who try to frame the Conservatives as 'extreme right wing' I suspect you're urban folk from TO or Van who have lost touch with small town conservative values so pervasive in the ROC, even Quebec. The Conservatives and the NDP now own the 'centrist' view and the Liberals aren't a choice for anyone - left, right or center anymore. Bye, bye Dion.

Dick Varley
said

Writer Ells is right when he suggests that Canadian politics is divided along urban/rural lines. Liberal politicians since Trudeau have catered to the vote producing urbanites who are in the majority. The urban population looks to government to support their quality of life. Every once in a while, when the tax burden gets to great or issues such as crime affect the urban lifestyle Canadians realize the detrimental affects of these social policies and elect right wing politicians to balance the ship. Hopefully we are in the midst of such action.

Ryan
said

We are seeing the return of right vs. left politics in Canada instead of the multiparty insanity we have had for many decades.

Left leaning places like Outremont are going to the NDP while right leaning places like rural Quebec are going Conservative.

Once the Liberals lose their hold on Montreal, they should change their name to the Liberal Party of Toronto.

Richard Parks
said

It's time for people on the right and in the media to start giving credit to the NDP for it's policy on important issues like the environment and Afhganistan. These are the reasons Thomas Mulcair decided to run for the NDP and these are the issues that seem to matter to the residents of Outremont. Whether you agree with our posistion or not at least we have one which is a far cry from Stephane Dion and the Liberals. I think Mr.Dion should learn from Mulcair and realize that it's not always about choosing a party that has the best chance of forming the government, but rather a party who reflects your own values and beliefs. I guess that's why he quit the Liberals in the first place!

Kevin
said

Could somebody please explain to me what things PM Harper has done that is so big bad and scary. I have asked some people and they said they would take away our basic rights like medicare. I said that was funny, durong the last election all the leaders were asked when they last used there public health care. Super Jack (NOT) said very recently, Paul Martin stumbled and did not answer (he has his own private doctor) and PM harper said yesterday I had an asthma attack. I have asked people who are against the war to give me a valid arguement, without all the rhetoric, they will not or cannot. I have asked theough email Stepahne Dion why his hypocticical stance on Afghanistan, why he said nothing when PM Chetien and Martin sent us there in a COMBAT role. So will someone please tell me what PM Harper that is so RADICAL because I have not seen it.

Dennis LeDrew
said

Just to remind all of the Harper bashers out there (eg: Dave) -

1) There was a merger of the Canadian Alliance and The Progressive Conservatives, and this entity became what it once was - a CONSERVATIVE Party.

2) The more Dion moves to the left, the more he is conceding the centre to the Tories. Witness this with the last Budget.

3) Dion's personal popularity numbers in all the polls in the last 6 months are abysmal compared to Harper's and even Layton's. This is especially bad considering that in Quebec where the Liberals are trying to rebuild, a native son is doing worse than a Westerner. So for Dave to say that an "equal amount of Canadians" like Dion as compared to Harper is just not true.

James
said

How sad it must be to be a Liberal supporter these days.

You can always spot them a mile away. Just like their (so-called) leader, they have nothing good to say about their own party, but plenty of mud slinging towards the other party's.

The Liberal party will not see power for a long time and I for one am thankful.

Fred
said

It makes me laugh how you lefties bash Harper and to say that he is at the extreme right is just saying that that most of the Canadians are because he has the most support. There is no doubt in my mind he will not only get his majority but a landslide in the next elections. He has the support of Charest's governing liberals in Quebec (former Conservative party leader) and of the official opposition the ADQ. Dion's lack of leadership skills is just icing on the cake.

Canadian
said

I do not put a lot of weight on the outcome of the byelections in Quebec, but I am very concerned about what a Con government has brought us in a very short time ... . What Canada needs is a new Liberal leader and a convention to find that person may be appropriate considering the lackluster performance of Mr. Dion.

Dave
said

Just to remind all of the Harper regime sympathizers: 1) this is not a Conservative party, it's the Reform party in Conservative clothing. 2) Conservatives are NOT centre! They are right wing by their very definition. 3) Those of you who think Dion is ineffectual and is causing the downfall of Liberalism need to remember that an absolutely equal amount of Canadians like him as like Harper. So I guess you could say that the Conservatives are just as unpopular as the Liberals right now.

Monika M.
said

I am saluting to all of you who can see that Canada needs the Conservatives in the lead. I hope people realized that Mr. Harper is not as scary as he was being described in the last election. And I wish people would remember that the Liberals had crooks running the show for decades � they should put more effort into getting back than slurring their opponents. As for the NDP and Bloc fans - we will always have more social programs than any "socialistic" country and more money for it. No "far right" leader will be able to abandon them, especially if he does not have a majority. That is, by the way, a good thing and quite a trend all over the world. Just showing you that the parties' platforms are perhaps closer than people realize.

Gary
said

The problem in politics in both the US and Canada is the pendulum effect. We have right wing and left wing parties and NOTHING in the center...where most Canadians values are. Thus we bounce from right to left and left to right so we dont tip over and yet what we TRULY need is a centrist balanced party to begin with. Neither the Conservatives or NDP are centrist parties...and to say anything other than that fact would be a gross misrepresentation..and the Liberals whom ideologically are closest to centrist are in disarray. I am surprised we have not developed a NEW ' TRUE' Canadian party that was balanced and centrist.

John
said

Why is everyone taking so much stock in byelections?! History has slapped us across the face many times with the reality that byelections are times when voters can slap the government across the face, and more often than not, voters do take that chance.

So stop predicting majorities and doom and gloom -- hold those for the real general election. Three ridings does not a general election make, so save yourselves the embarrassment.

Ottawa Mike writes:
said

Most of the social problems we have in Canada can be traced back to the policies of the looney left and their socialist agenda. Case in point - our justice system which is lax on crime in our streets - a system which upholds prisoners 'rights' over victims 'rights'. What we desparately need in Canada is more common sense politicians to prevail so we can take back Canada back from the looney lefties. This shift taking place to moderate responsible conservativism is good for Canada. the pendulum is swinging back to center and it's about time!

Bluenoser123
said

I think it's funny that everyone talks about how "far right" the Conservative Party is. They have virtually no policies that indicate that they are far-right.

Sure, they have some MPs who would prefer a harder right stance, but the party has proven that their policies are no further to the right than the previous Liberal administrations.

I am thoroughly enjoying this Liberal collapse, as well as the collapse of the Bloc.

Keep on truckin'!

Ells
said

What is very interesting is that in the urban centres...Quebecers might be electing an NDP..and in the rural areas the Conservatives are being considered. Almost opposite ends of the political spectrum in Canada. I wonder if the urban-rural divide is more ' real' than we give it credit for. This division is prevalent in other parts of Canada too. What makes this even more interesting is that Canadians overall are probably more centrists than anything...but don't have a strong party occupying that space to vote for. The Conservatives and the NDP are way too far in one direction for most, yet they are on the verge of taking some Quebec seats. Weird or no true choice ?

Andrew
said

When the Liberals lose in all three ridings, it is only my hope (as a Liberal) that a new leader can be found. Dion's election was a mistake then, and it's only snowballed since then. Thank goodness it will only take some byelections in Quebec instead of a full-on election to make us realise it.

Jeff S.
said

When Dion writes his Memoirs some years down the road, he can entitle it "Outremont: The Beginning of the End for my Prioreetees".

Another Liberal leadership convention in '08? I think so. A conservative majority in the next general election? Yessir!

GG
said

The real problem with the Conservatives, as they are now constituted, is they are way too far right. You cant fool Quebecers or Canadians....and leopards cant change their spots. We need a balanced party that governs in the center. Balance some socialism with capitalism. Too much of any one makes people sick.

Gary
said

Anybody but the neo-cons. Bad for Quebec and Canada. They are sooooooo far right that they think the Centrists are (far left)communists...too funny..the vast vast majority of Canadians are centrists. So anybody but Conservatives. There is a reason they took the word' progressive' out of their name.

Devon K.
said

If we are lucky the Liberals will lose across the board, and the Tories will win 1 seat.

As to the "Social Democratic" nonsense that's just another word for "socialism" and frankly looking at my pay cheque I've had enough socialism for one life time.

The people of Quebec aren't that left leaning either. The ADQ made huge gains in the provincial election and they lean to the right. The ADQ has been very vocal in their support for the Tories because they know Quebec can get a better deal under the Tories than anyone else.

It's just plain logical. The Liberals and NDP both believe the Constitution, especially S.91 and S.92 don't actually exist. The Tories believe the Constitution is the law of the land and have pledged to respect it. They know there is a needed delineation between the powers and duties of the federal and provincial governments. With that knowledge Quebec will always get more independence in planning its own future than under the Liberals or NDP.

Kory
said

I think people are starting to have less fear of the Conservatives and this is helping both them and the NDP and hurting the Liberals and the Bloc. A number of Dippers often vote for the Liberals in fear of the Conservatives but with this change you might see more of the NDP in the House.

Michael S
said

Everyone is making such a huge deal over Outremont and Dion's leadership - but Lapierre, an incumbent in the last election and former Bloc member, won by only a couple thousand votes. We now have a new Liberal candidate, a strong NDP/former provincial Liberal candidate. Dion can't perform miracles just as Martin couldn't swing around Chretien's sponsorship scandal.

Heinz Albert
said

Dion is an ineffective leader and the Liberals deserve to lose in Outremont. When Dion was in power he did nothing for the environment, now he has lots of criticisms but no new ideas. Calling his dog Kyoto does as much for the environment as calling my gerbil Kyoto.

Richard
said

I hate to admit it, but I'm starting to gain a little respect and admiration for Justin Trudeau. I was rolling my eyes for a while when he announced he was entering politics, and thinking to myself "Oh, great. Another Trudeau, one who's cashing in on daddy's name."

But now I'm starting to wonder if he knew the Liberals would have trouble in Outremont, and that's why he turned down being appointed in this so-called "safe" Liberal riding. If he did know, or if he was smart enough to hire people who could anticipate this, then he's a lot more savvy than I originally gave him credit for.

Steven Booth
said

And someone had the gall to note yesterday that comments on a similar story were weighted in favour of conservatives!

There is a reason Quebec has never voted NDP. It is a conservative society outside leftist Montreal. That is why Mario is Premier-in-Waiting - and why Harper will increase his Quebec representation after the next federal election.

Ken
said

At least the majority of Quebecers are still smart enough to not vote for the Conservatives. Without a sweep in that province, Harper will thankfully NEVER get the majority government he wants so badly.

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