‘Feeling grateful’: Newly elected Bloc Québécois MP vows to represent all citizens of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun

The federal riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun in Montreal has gone from red to blue.

The Bloc Québécois won the Liberal stronghold after an extremely tight three-way race with the NDP.

The Bloc’s Louis-Philippe Sauvé says it was a long, eventful night.

“It was a roller coaster night, I had many emotions,” he said at a press conference Tuesday, admitting that he only slept about three hours. “But today I’m feeling good. I’m feeling grateful — grateful towards the people in my neighborhood of having chosen me as their MP.”

Sauvé took home 28 per cent of ballots compared to 27.2 per cent for the Liberals and 26.1 per cent for the NDP.

Sauvé, an administrator at the Institute for Research in Contemporary Economics, beat Liberal Laura Palestini by less than 250 votes in the byelection. The NDP’s Craig Sauvé finished about 600 votes back of the winner.

Sauvé is a former Parliament Hill staffer. When asked about the change – from working behind the scenes to now being at the forefront, this is how he described his feelings: “it’s awesome.”

He’s now the party’s 33rd MP and joins Mario Beaulieu as the second Bloc MP in Montreal.

“I’m going to fight for my five priorities that I advocate for throughout this campaign, such as housing, homelessness, better pension for senior citizens, and integration in French and independence,” he said.

Those living in the riding reacted to the news on Tuesday morning in Verdun.

“I didn’t expect the Bloc to take the riding because it was a liberal one, so we’ll see what they have to do for us,” says a resident named Alex.

This is what I wanted, I didn’t want the Conservative Party, nor the Liberals,” said one man.

“I think Quebec is tired, not to mention the country, is tired of Trudeau,” said Andrea Carman. “He’s been in power now for nine years and we’re kind of fed up with them, and so I wasn’t overly surprised that the Bloc won.”

The riding is home to a large Italian community in LaSalle and it was last held by former liberal MP and Justice Minister David Lametti who resigned earlier this year.

“I think the people voted, not for a party, but against it, and probably they voted more against Trudeau himself,” said one resident, speaking in Italian.

#WATCH: "A rollercoaster night," is how the Bloc Québécois' newly elected MP Louis-Philippe Sauvé describes Monday night into Tuesday, after winning the federal byelection for the Montreal riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun.

READ: https://t.co/jQ2BTLjNgh pic.twitter.com/DRai9kOtB8

— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) September 17, 2024

Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet celebrated Sauve’s win with him on Tuesday morning at a press conference on Wellington in Verdun.

“I was not as much surprised as happy with that, we knew this could happen,” he said.

The Bloc has said it expects a more important role in Parliament since the NDP ended an agreement with the Liberals that insulated the government from losing confidence votes. He said in French that the NDP and Liberals have become “toxic for each other” electorally.

Trudeau says ‘all sorts of reflections’ for Liberals after loss of second stronghold

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberals have lots to ponder after losing a second stronghold in a byelection in Montreal.

“Obviously, it’s never fun to come so close and not win a byelection,” Trudeau said this morning in French, a few hours after Elections Canada confirmed the Bloc Quebecois had defeated the Liberals in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun.

“I think there’s all sorts of reflections to take,” Trudeau said when asked what led to the Liberals’ loss.

“Obviously, it would have been nicer to be able to win and hold Verdun, but there’s more work to do and we’re going to stay focused on doing it,” Trudeau told reporters in English ahead of this morning’s cabinet meeting.

He would not say whether this result puts his leadership in question.

“We know that we have a lot of work to do to regain the trust of people, in LaSalle and people across the country, who are worried about the situation they find themselves in,” Trudeau said in French.

It is the second time in three months that Trudeau’s party lost a stronghold in a byelection. In June, the Conservatives narrowly defeated the Liberals in Toronto-St. Paul’s.

-With files from The Canadian Press