Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has chosen Montreal city councillor Laura Palestini to represent his colours in LaSalle–Émard–Verdun, a decision that has shocked aspiring candidates who have already been knocking on doors for several months.
“Internally we have a name for it, which the party doesn’t necessarily like: she was ‘parachuted in’. That’s it,” says entrepreneur Christopher Baenninger bitterly.
The former candidate for the Quebec Liberal Party in Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne in 2023 says he has put the operations of his two businesses on hold since February, in order to make himself known in the neighbourhood and try his luck at becoming the candidate for Team Trudeau in LaSalle–Émard–Verdun.
However, the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) has instead chosen not to organize an open nomination race for this Montreal riding, whose seat in the House of Commons has been vacant since the departure of former Justice Minister David Lametti. A by-election must be announced no later than July 30.
The party led by Justin Trudeau instead announced in a press release sent Friday afternoon the nomination of Laura Palestini as candidate for LaSalle–Émard–Verdun.me Palestini represents LaSalle on the municipal council of the City of Montreal after having served four terms as councillor for this borough, boasts her biographical note provided by the PLC.
The chef’s choice
“It’s extremely disappointing. It saddens me,” said Christopher Baenninger, in an interview with Duty. I have never heard of M.me Palestini, so no comment on that. I don’t know who that lady is.”
The same disappointment is palpable in Lori Morrison, a school commissioner who has also been displaying her ambition since this winter to become the Liberal candidate in LaSalle–Émard–Verdun. She too had understood that the party was preparing to let its members choose the candidate in an open nomination, and had not heard of Ms.me Palestini for the race.
” [La nomination] “It’s not democratic at all. When people ask why people don’t show up to vote anymore… I think that’s a good example,” criticizes Lori Morrison.
Tourism Minister and co-chair of the Liberal campaign, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, confirmed to Duty that it was her leader, Justin Trudeau, who decided not to entrust his supporters with the choice of candidate. “I tell people that they have to get involved in politics, that’s obvious. But in this case, the Prime Minister decided to appoint the candidate who will represent us,” she explains during a phone call.
While thanking the other Liberal supporters who wanted to run, the Hochelaga MP in Montreal said that her leader saw in Mme Palestini is the best person to represent the party’s interests in the upcoming race. “The candidate who was chosen is a woman. She is someone who is extremely anchored in her community in LaSalle, who has been elected as a municipal councilor several times,” she lists.
From municipal to federal
“I am ready to get to work to continue building a better future for our community, and to be your voice in Ottawa,” Laura Palestini promised in a post on X, a social network where she had 33 subscribers on Friday.
It is a great honour for me to be the candidate for Team Trudeau in LaSalle–Émard–Verdun!
I am ready to get to work to continue building a better future for our community, and to be your voice in Ottawa. pic.twitter.com/ghV5Ypgemc— Laura Palestini (@LauraPalestini) July 19, 2024
She will face at least one other city councillor who is also running in this by-election. He is Craig Sauvé, elected in the South-West borough since 2013, who is representing the New Democratic Party (NDP). The Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party of Canada have still not announced their candidate.
About 100 other independent candidates could also be in the race, the result of the efforts of a group challenging the current voting system. That would complicate the task at Elections Canada and force the production of oversized ballots.
Experts believe that the race in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun represents an important test to measure Justin Trudeau’s support in Quebec, after his party was forced to mourn the loss of the stronghold of Toronto — St. Paul’s at the hands of Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives on June 24.
Depending on the official start of the by-election campaign, the vote in LaSalle–Émard–Verdun must be held no later than September 16. This date also coincides with the return of Parliament to Ottawa.
The winner of this by-election will be given a mandate of approximately one year, since the federal general election must be held no later than October 2025.