Spotlight on Montreal ridings: Mount Royal
The home riding of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Mount Royal has long been a Liberal stronghold.
But the opening created by the departure of longtime MP Irwin Cotler may just be large enough for contenders to squeeze through.
It is seen as a vulnerable enough target that Conservative Leader Stephen Harper made his first official campaign stop there shortly after the election was called.
Robert Libman, a well-known English-language rights activist and former MNA, won the conservative nomination in April. He'll try and take the riding from the hands of the Liberal's new candidate, who is also no stranger to residents of the riding.
Anthony Housefather, the current mayor of Côte Saint-Luc, has been tasked with keeping the riding red.
The NDP is putting its faith in candidate Mario Jacinto Rimbao, a fleet operator and a longtime basketball coach and volunteer in the riding's substantial Filipino community.
Riding History
- Established in 1924.
- Liberal since 1940.
- One per cent of the riding was merged into Outremont in 1996, but the boundaries have remained the same since.
Riding snapshot
Population: 101,260 (2011 Census)
Language: English (31 per cent), French (22 per cent)
Diversity: 37 per cent of residents identify as a visible minority
Average yearly income: $43,760 (2010)
Results last election
Liberal: 16,151
Bloc Québécois: 1,136
NDP: 6,963
Marxist-Leninist: 109
Green Party: 683
Abraham Weizfeld (independent candidate): 74
Conservative: 13,891
