Robert Libman wins Conservative nomination in Mount-Royal
Robert Libman will be facing off against Anthony Housefather in the coming federal election after he won the Conservative nomination for the Mount-Royal riding.
The riding is considered a Liberal stronghold. Irwin Cotler, the current MP for the riding, has held onto his seat since 1999. However, he announced last year that he would not run again.
The riding itself has gone to the Liberals in every election since 1940.
Libman, the founder of the now-defunct Equality Party, had some tough competition going into the race.
Many believed opponent and former TVA journalist Pascale Déry was the candidate the Conservative party actually wanted to win. The Suburban editor Beryl Wajsman, who had also been competing for the title, dropped out of the race shortly before the deadline.
Libman brushed that claim aside, though, saying that the party did not interfere in the electoral process. He won the majority of the 1,700 votes cast.
Both Libman and Liberal nominee Housefather have served as mayors of Cote St-Luc, although Libman had quit politics in 2005 to return to private life.
He returned to the political sphere last year when he announced his intent to run for the Conservatives.
Libman said he has an advantage over his rival because he has sat as an MNA in the National Assembly.
