Liberal Anthony Housefather elected in Mount Royal
CBC News | Posted: October 20, 2015 1:45 AM | Last Updated: October 20, 2015
'This is a riding made up of minorities, and I will work hard to represent them,' says Côte-Saint-Luc mayor
Liberal candidate Anthony Housefather, the mayor of Côte-Saint-Luc, has been elected in Mount Royal.
Housefather bested Robert Libman, the Conservatives' best hope for gaining a toehold on the island of Montreal.
"This is a great riding, with history," Housefather told supporters in his victory speech. "This is a riding made up of minorities, and I will work hard to represent them."
Mount Royal is historic in large part because it was the home riding of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
It has always been a Liberal stronghold, however, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper made the riding his first stop after the campaign launch on Aug. 2, hoping to to make his mark with Jewish voters, who account for at least a third of the electorate.
The Conservatives had hoped their strong pro-Israel stance would help them win the seat.
But Libman, the one-time leader of the anglophone rights Equality Party, who is also a former Côte-Saint-Luc mayor, was behind by more than 4,600 votes when he was declared defeated with 130 of 207 polls counted.
Riding Background
Mount Royal was represented by the eminent human rights lawyer, former justice minister Irwin Cotler, from 1999 until his retirement this year.
Candidates 2015
- Jade Bossé Bélanger, Bloc Québécois
- Robert Libman Conservative Party of Canada
- Timothy Landry, Green Party of Canada
- Anthony Housefather Liberal Party of Canada
- Diane Johnston Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada
- Mario Jacinto Rimbao New Democratic Party
Riding History
- Established in 1924.
- Liberal since 1940.
- One per cent of the riding was merged into Outremont in 1996, but the boundaries have remained the same since.
Riding snapshot
- Population: 101,260 (2011 Census)
- Mother tongue: English (33 per cent), French (23.8 per cent), non-official languages (43.2 per cent, largest linguistic groups are Filipino, Arabic, Russian, Romanian and Spanish)
- Average household income: $118,558 (2011 National Household Survey)
Riding History
- Established in 1924.
- Liberal since 1940.
- One per cent of the riding was merged into Outremont in 1996, but the boundaries have remained the same since.
Riding snapshot
- Population: 101,260 (2011 Census)
- Mother tongue: English (33 per cent), French (23.8 per cent), non-official languages (43.2 per cent, largest linguistic groups are Filipino, Arabic, Russian, Romanian and Spanish)
- Average household income: $118,558 (2011 National Household Survey)
Results last election
Liberal: 16,151
Conservative: 13,891
NDP: 6,963
Bloc Québécois: 1,136
Green Party: 683
Marxist-Leninist: 109
Independent: 74
Conservative: 13,891
NDP: 6,963
Bloc Québécois: 1,136
Green Party: 683
Marxist-Leninist: 109
Independent: 74