Liberals steal former NDP leader’s seat in Quebec by-election

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with Rachel Bendayan / Facebook

Federal Liberal candidate Rachel Bendayan has won the by-election in the riding of Outremont, with 41.9% of the votes.

Her election marks a change to the political landscape of the riding which has been NDP stronghold since 2007.

Bendayan is a former international arbitration lawyer and Chief of Staff to the Minister of Small Business and Tourism.

Congratulations @RachelBendayan – the newest member of the Liberal caucus, and the next Member of Parliament for #Outremont! #TeamTrudeau #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/x3bjbmNeMG

— Liberal Party (@liberal_party) February 26, 2019

The riding was the home of former federal NDP party leader Tom Mulcair.

In October, opposition leaders Andrew Scheer, Mario Beaulieu, and Elizabeth May rallied with Singh in a joint letter, calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to announce by-elections immediately in the Burnaby-South (BC), York-Simcoe (Ontario), and Outremont (Quebec) ridings.

“While the parties we lead disagree on what solutions are best for the challenges facing Canadians, we are in complete agreement that Canadians deserve to have elected representation as soon as possible,” the letter reads.

“We urge you to do what’s best for Canadians in these ridings and immediately call the byelections for all vacant seats in the House of Commons.”

I want to congratulate @JdelCSanchez & her team on an incredible campaign in Outremont. Julia put people first in her fight for a cleaner, healthier & fairer world for our families today and tomorrow. Thanks for your leadership Julia & for all your work in this by-election.

— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) February 26, 2019

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