Mount Royal and Westmount-Ville Marie ridings continue to be covered in the national press as we near the May 2 federal elections.  Mount Royal has been all-Liberal since the 1940s but the National Post and Globe and Mail both tout this one as a riding to watch.

I met Conservative candidate Saulie Zajdel last week.  He made a point of saying he’s not running against Liberal incumbant Irwin Cotler, rather he is running against the Liberal Party.  Cotler, he said, could continue to do his fine work in advocacy and human rights outside of Parliament basically creating two strong advocates for Israel.  Interesting comment and strategy for Zajdel as he runs against a giant in human rights.

As for Westmount-Ville Marie my long time friend Neil Drabkin hopes to turn the tide and offer this central Montreal riding strong representation in a Conservative government.  Drabkin has deep roots with the Tories going back almost 30 years and would surely merit a cabinet position should he win, which is surely an uphill battle.  I have personally witnessed him in action in Ottawa.  His name and reputation are door openers on Parliament Hill and he has the ability, drive and skill to make a difference.  While I have met sitting MP Marc Garneau and have great respect for his achievements of reaching lofty heights (pun intended), Drabkin too has the spirit and know-how to go pretty high. (Watch Global News report on the local race in Westmount-Ville Marie).

Also of interest is how the Conservatives have placed the word “Canada” boldly across their posters, a sight unseen in many an election here in Quebec.  Having been forgotten for far too long by all federal parties Quebec anglos should search out who best represents their minority within a minority interests (and add yet another minority for Quebec anglo Jews).

The NDP has only French text on their posters while the Liberals merely have the bilingual version of the riding name.

While Gilles Duceppe tried to back Stephen Harper into a corner in the English and French language debates in egging him on to extending the dreaded Bill 101 to federal jurisdiction industries (such as Transportation, Banking and Telecommunications) representing some 300,000 workers, Harper didn’t budge.

Read Barbara Kay as she comments in the National Post: 

via Barbara Kay: It’s time for Montreal’s anglos to vote for a Tory majority | Full Comment | National Post.

And click here for the latest round up from my friend, City Councillor and blogger Mike Cohen about all the candidates in Mount Royal Riding.

Not to be missed: The Mount Royal candidates will take part in a number of debates, including one co-sponsored by B’nai Brith Canada and the City of Côte Saint-Luc on Thursday evening April 28 at Beth Zion Congregation on Hudson Avenue.

Related Articles