Alan DeSousa announces bid for Stéphane Dion's old seat
The Saint-Laurent riding has been empty since Dion stepped down last month
The mayor of Montreal's Saint-Laurent borough, Alan DeSousa, confirmed his candidacy for the federal Liberal party nomination in Saint-Laurent.
He officially announced his candidacy at a news conference Friday afternoon in the riding.
DeSousa stressed his deep understanding of the Saint-Laurent riding, noting he has been in politics there for 27 years.
"It's serious and it's grassroots-based, with people in the community," DeSousa said of his campaign at a news conference Friday afternoon.
The Saint-Laurent seat was vacated when veteran MP and former foreign affairs minister Stéphane Dion left politics to accept the position of ambassador to the European Union and Germany.
DeSousa said the sudden vacancy is the reason why is he turning towards federal politics.
"We have an opening here in Saint-Laurent," he said. "This is not something I sought. This is just something that happened."
2 other candidates?
DeSousa is not the only one vying for the seat in the Liberal stronghold.
Radio-Canada sources have confirmed former provincial immigration minister Yolande James will announce her candidacy shortly.
Last week, James had reportedly been approached by the federal Liberal Party to run in an eventual byelection.
A lesser known candidate, tax law professor Marwah Rizqy, announced her candidacy last week on Twitter.
Je confirme la nouvelle: je serai candidate à l'investiture du Parti libéral du Canada dans <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaintLaurent?src=hash">#SaintLaurent</a> ! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/polcan?src=hash">#polcan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/polqc?src=hash">#polqc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash">#cdnpoli</a>
—@marwahrizqyRizqy has run for the federal Liberal Party before, in 2015 in Hochelaga. She lost by 500 votes to New Democratic Party candidate Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet.
A byelection in Saint-Laurent is expected in the coming months but a date has not yet been set.