Layton says byelection win in Outremont marks new era for NDP

MONTREAL (CP) A newcomer to federal politics in a party with almost no prior success in Quebec has managed to upend a cornerstone of Liberal support by stripping them of the riding of Outremont for only the second time in the last 80 years.

The NDP and its star candidate Thomas Mulcair claimed an important victory in Mondays byelection in this urban Montreal riding, energizing the party by winning only its second seat ever in Quebec.

With 100 supporters gathered at bar off Montreals trendy St. Laurent street, a beaming NDP Leader Jack Layton attempted to put the win in context.

Welcome to a new era, he told a near delirious crowd of mostly young faces.

Mulcair, a former Quebec Liberal cabinet minister, immediately played the notion of a one-off win with little chance of repeating.

This is a victory for the NDPs message, for our priorities, he said. Our priorities are you priorities.

But while the win allowed the NDP to establish a toehold in Quebec, it also raises serious questions about the direction of the Liberals.

With Mondays other two byelections in territory usually hostile to the Grits, Outremont was seen as a crucial test of Stephane Dions leadership. Conservatives captured the riding of Roberval-Lac-St-Jean and the Bloc held onto St-Hyacinthe-Bagot.

Heading into Mondays byelection, the Grits had counted on the support of Outremont voters all but once since 1935.

I think they were out of touch with a lot of the issues in communities here in the riding, and more broadly actually, Layton said.

Outremont holds much symbolic importance for Liberals being composed of a mix of upper-class francophone and multi-ethnic neighbourhoods two groups the party considers its core constituents.

As for the NDP, they chalked their victory up to strong organization and a message that appealed to a cross-section of voters.

Hard work and a very clear vision by the NDP on peace, the environment and future generation, said Mulcair explaining his win. We are the only party that is speaking to the concerns of the modern family.

The NDP have had their eyes on Outremont since Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the byelections earlier this summer. The party was eager to showcase the newly acquired Mulcair and Leader Jack Layton made numerous visits to boost his campaign.

Mulcair stumped on issues that have dominated Quebec headlines in recent month, including pledges to oppose the war in Afghanistan and to fight an algae problem in the provinces lakes.

The NDP now faces the challenge of turning their toehold in Quebec into a beachhead. Layton was confident the party would be able to consolidate its support by building momentum off the Mondays win.

Theres an enormous amount of enthusiasm among young Quebecers who have become part of the NDP over the last number of years, he said.

In addition, what you saw with Thomas Mulcair is what can happen when we bring forward candidates that are respected . . . there will be more such candidates in the weeks and months to come.

The only other time the NDP has held a seat in Quebec was in 1990, when consumer advocated Phil Edmonston won a byelection.