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Conservatives win Two By-elections, One in Quebec

by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | November 10, 2009 at 06:08 am

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper called four by-elections yesterday. They were in ridings in Nova Scotia, two in Quebec and one in BC.

The Nova Scotia seat has been a long time conservative seat and was widely expected to be won by the Conservatives. The surprise came in Quebec, where the Conservatives won one seat at the expense of the Bloc Quebecois.

The seat in British Columbia went to the New Democrats as expected.

The Conservatives, recently, have seen their popularity rise in Canadian polls. These by-elections confirmed what was demonstrated by pools. The Liberal Party under Michael Ignatieff came third in each of these by-elections.

The Conservatives seem to be gaining momentum in Quebec.

Michael Ignatieff has recently given up the hope of pushing for an election, stating that Canadians were not interested in another election.

The Conservatives now hold 145 seats to the Liberals 77. 155 seats are needed for a majority government.

The Conservatives scored two federal byelection wins Monday, upsetting the Bloc Québécois in eastern Quebec and cruising to an easy victory in Nova Scotia.

The Bloc easily retained the riding of Hochelaga in Montreal's east end, while the New Democrats had no trouble holding on to a seat in British Columbia.

Conservative Bernard Généreux, the former mayor of La Pocatière, scored an upset in Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Rivière du loup in eastern Quebec, taking more than 42 per cent of the vote, ahead of the Bloc's Nancy Gagnon, with just under 38 per cent.

Liberal Marcel Catellier ran a distant third with 13 per cent of the vote, followed by the NDP's François Lapointe with about five per cent.

In Nova Scotia, Conservative candidate Scott Armstrong reclaimed the riding of Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley, a longtime Tory stronghold.