Montreal city councillor Laura Palestini will represent the incumbent Liberal Party in the upcoming by-election for the vacant LaSalle-Emard-Verdun riding.
Palestini, a four-term LaSalle borough councillor, is currently serving his first term as a Montreal city councillor. Campaign co-chair Soraya Martinez told Radio-Canada that Palestini was nominated to run for the Liberal Party seat, which became vacant in January following the resignation of former Justice Minister David Lametti.
“I know the challenges and opportunities facing Lasalle Emaar Verdun families, and I am ready to fight for our priorities as the next member of parliament,” Palestini said in a media release.
“Together, we can build more housing, protect renters, strengthen public health, fight climate change, create new good-paying jobs, and ensure everyone in our communities has a fair chance to succeed.”
A date for the by-election has yet to be announced, but Elections Canada says it must announce one by July 30.
David Lametti disagrees with a federal judge’s ruling that actions taken under the law violated his Charter rights.
The NDP will be representing Montreal city councillor Craig Sauvé in the election, while the Green Party will field former party federal candidate Jency Mercier.
The Conservative party has yet to announce its candidate, but Leader Pierre Poirievre has been seen several times in Montreal since Parliament went into summer recess.
The Liberal Party has won every election in the LaSalle-Emard-Verdun constituency since it was created in 2015.
The Liberals were expected to win last month’s Toronto-St. Paul by-election, but lost to Conservative Don Stewart in the seat that had been held by veteran Liberal councillor Carolyn Bennett since 1997.
