Bloc Québécois names their candidate for NDG-Westmount federal byelection

The Bloc Québécois announced Thursday that  their candidate for the June 19 federal byelection in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount will be Laurence Massey.

Massey ran for the BQ in Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel in 2021. She is a 25-year-old graduate student in Indigenous studies and digital communications practitioner, with years of political activism.

In a press release, the BQ said she is “committed to the cause of Quebec and to the preservation of its language, and sensitive to issues relating to equality, the environment and the autonomy of nations, she wishes to bring these issues to the public debate throughout the byelection.”

“Laurence represents exactly the kind of candidacy that breaks the myth that young people are not interested in politics and abandon the independence movement,” says Bloc leader, Yves-François Blanchet.

Massey is up against four other candidates, namely the Liberal party’s Anna Gainey.

Gainey, former president of the Liberal Party of Canada between 2014 and 2018, won the nomination race on May 15.

NDG-Westmount federal by-election: Anna Gainey to represent Liberals

The riding is a Liberal stronghold, that was represented by former cabinet minister, Marc Garneau, who stepped down a few months ago. He won the last three elections with more than 50 per cent of the vote.

Other candidates in the race are: Jean-François Filion, an English teacher at the International School of Montreal, running with the NDP.

Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives are counting on Mathew Kaminski, a young accountant who grew up in Montreal,  and active member of the part since his teen years.

The new co-leader of the Green Party, Jonathan Pedneault, will be vying for the vacant set in NDG-Westmount. The 33-year-old was a journalist and then worked for the Canadian chapter of Human Rights Watch.

Green Party deputy leader to run in upcoming NDG-Westmount federal byelection