Voters head to polls for LaSalle—Émard—Verdun federal byelection

Will political strongholds fall this Monday? Citizens in the ridings of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun in Montreal are heading to the polls to vote in the byelection.

Polls will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Elections Canada projects that the count should be completed by midnight in the Montreal riding even though the ballot contains 91 names – the longest in federal election history – because independents submitted random candidates to oppose the first past-the-post voting system.

The federal agency says it learned from the Toronto-St. Paul’s byelection a few months ago, that a similar situation occurred, and the winner was not known until early in the morning.

“The Chief Electoral Officer used his authority under the Canada Elections Act to allow advance votes to be counted on election day, starting four hours before the polls closed,” Elections Canada spokesperson Matthew McKenna told The Canadian Press.

McKenna noted that certain measures have been put in place to avoid delays including hiring additional election workers to conduct and supervise evening counts, employees normally at Elections Canada headquarters will be present in the riding to provide support and handle contingencies, and additional tests has been conducted on the voting machines.

The Montreal riding will probably be the most watched since a three-way race is taking place.

The Liberal Party of Canada is working to keep the seat. The New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Québécois are trying to position themselves as the best alternative to the Liberals.

One concern for many is global issues.

“I think climate justice is really important. I think human rights and reconciliation is also top of mind. I think also I think, I mean, of course, cost of living, housing rights,” said Stephanie Nichols.

Alexander Dalrymple added, “I really want to see movement on the truth and reconciliation. That’s a big issue for me personally.”

The byelection follows the resignation of former MNA David Lametti, who had held the position since 2015.

Some of the frustrations Montreal voters expressed today was the initial shock they felt once seeing the long list of candidates.

“I gotta say this is ridiculous because I saw five or six different people on signs everywhere and I go in there and there’s about 90 people to choose from so I have no freaking clue,” explained one voter.

Nichols added, “I asked you it was a joke. It is surprising and it kind of makes me question our processes with regards to elections and byelections.”

Dalrymple said, “Was it overwhelming? It was a little overwhelming to see. I knew I knew what my vote was going to be so it was just a matter of finding the name but it was certainly a lot to look at.”

In the last general election, in 2021, Lametti was re-elected with 42.9 per cent of the vote, finishing far ahead of his opponents. The Bloc received 22.1 per cent of the vote, the NDP candidate came in third (19.4 per cent) and the Conservatives obtained 7.5 per cent.

The national voting intentions have been dire for the NDP. Not only would they likely lose seats if an election were held this fall, but also the balance of power if the Conservatives form a majority government.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews