LaSalle—Émard—Verdun | A municipal councillor will carry the Liberal colours

(Ottawa) City councillor Laura Palestini will run for the Liberals in the Montreal riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun in a byelection that is set to be called in 11 days or less, a test for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals after they recently failed to hold on to another stronghold in downtown Toronto.

In a press release announcing his nomination, the Liberal Party of Canada said Friday that Mr.^me Palestini has demonstrated “his ability to achieve concrete results for his neighbors.”

The president of the political party, Sachit Mehra, also quickly attacked the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, accusing him of wanting to “make massive cuts in the services that Quebecers count on.”

M^me Palestini says she plans to work to “build more housing and protect tenants, strengthen our public health care system, fight climate change while creating new good-paying jobs, and ensure that every member of our community has a fair chance at success.”

Laura Palestini has been elected five times in municipal politics, since 2005, including four times as a borough councillor for LaSalle. She currently sits on the municipal council where she represents the same borough.

She will face another city councillor, Craig Sauvé, who represents the borough of Le Sud-Ouest. Mr. Sauvé represents the New Democratic Party, led by Jagmeet Singh.

Liberal Party of Canada spokesman Parker Lund declined to answer specific questions from The Canadian Press, including whether to confirm that Ms.^me Palestini was not elected at an investiture meeting and to explain this decision.

An entrepreneur for conservatives

The Conservative Party of Canada announced in an email that Louis Ialenti, “a common-sense small business owner,” will be its candidate.

Mr. Ialenti is not new to the Conservatives, having been their candidate in Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel during the previous general election in 2021. He finished second with a slim 10.5% of the vote, far behind Liberal Patricia Latanzio who swept the riding with 69.4% of the vote.

On his LinkedIn profile, Mr. Ialenti describes himself as a “fashion, law and entrepreneur enthusiast” who works as the director of “one of the most important custom menswear brands in Montreal, if not the world, Maison Cloakroom.”

He claims to hold several degrees including a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, another in law from the University of Queensland in Australia, as well as a master’s degree in international affairs from the Queensland University of Technology.

And while the by-election must be called no later than July 30, according to the Electoral lawthe Bloc Québécois has still not announced the identity of its candidate. “We will announce the candidate in due course,” said spokesperson Joanie Riopel.

The riding of LaSalle–Émard–Verdun was left vacant by the resignation of David Lametti on January 31, a few months after the former justice minister was excluded from the cabinet during last summer’s ministerial shuffle.

Mr. Lametti has won three consecutive elections since 2015, the year the riding was created. In the last election, in 2021, he was re-elected with 42.9% of the vote. The Bloc Québécois candidate followed by a distance (22.1%) and the New Democratic Party candidate came in third (19.4%).

In late June, voters in Toronto—St. Paul’s, in the Ontario capital, sent a clear message to Justin Trudeau’s troops by electing the Conservative candidate in what was considered a Liberal stronghold since the Liberals had held it uninterrupted for more than 30 years.

Since then, calls for Mr. Trudeau to step aside have immediately multiplied within Liberal ranks, both inside and outside the caucus, but the main interested party has chosen to hang on, announcing that he intends to focus on how the Liberals can “continue to deliver” for Canadians.