Canadian Federal Election Results in Western Montreal - Regional Profile

Regional Profile

Montreal boasts some of the most highly-polarized political geography in Canada: While the soverengist Bloc Québécois has been strong in the mostly francophone East End, the largely anglophone and Jewish western portions of the city have been a Liberal and federalist fortress for over six decades. The region is home to some of the safest Liberal ridings in the nation (e.g. Mount Royal and Saint-Laurent—Cartierville). Even in the surge of support for Brian Mulroney's Conservatives in Quebec in 1984 and 1988, the Liberals picked up most seats in this area, as well as during the collapse of support in Quebec in 2006 – although one seat at the eastern end of the area was lost to the Bloc. Before 2011, 1984 was the only election in recent memory in which traditional Liberal dominance was seriously threatened in this region. Two former Prime Ministers, Paul Martin and Pierre Trudeau, represented ridings in this area.

Nevertheless, in 2011, several Liberal bastions, such as Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, LaSalle—Émard, and Pierrefonds—Dollard, fell to the New Democratic surge felt throughout Quebec. The NDP took five of the region's nine seats, with the Liberals holding the remainder.