Jocelyn Coulon - Politics

Politics

In 2007, Coulon entered federal politics when he was handpicked by Liberal leader Stéphane Dion to run as a Liberal candidate for the riding of Outremont in a by-election that was held on September 17, 2007. The seat was vacated by former Transportation Minister Jean Lapierre who pursued his career as a political analyst at TVA. Coulon faced former provincial Liberal Environment Minister Thomas Mulcair from the NDP.

During his campaign, Coulon had criticized the Conservative government of Stephen Harper on the handling of the War in Afghanistan, accusing them of complying with the policy of US President George W. Bush.

His nomination was heavily criticized by the B'nai Brith Canada Jewish group which accused him of being anti-American and anti-Israel based on its view of the Middle East issues including the Hamas-Israel-Lebanon conflict. The Quebec-Israel Committee however, stated that B'Nai Brith's statements were exaggerated and that Coulon had every right to be the Liberal candidate. These issues were thought to be important because the local Jewish community in Outremont makes up 10% of the riding demographics.

While Outremont was a Liberal stronghold since 1935 (except for the 1988 election), the NDP won their first Canadian House of Commons seat in the province of Quebec since 1990. Coulon received 28.5% of the vote while Mulcair finished with 48.6% of the vote. For the most part, the campaign was a tight race between the two candidates, however late polls pointed to an NDP victory, with visits from star party members Ken Dryden and Justin Trudeau unable to regain the Liberal lead.

A Dion aide blamed the Outremont by-election on several factors, including poor organization, lack of communications, and lack of a clear policy on Quebec, while former MP Jean Lapierre suggested that it was due to Dion's 14% approval rating in the province. The Conservatives focused their attacks on the leadership skills of Dion, who had been campaigning in the riding. In addition, the Halifax Chronicle-Herald reported that unidentified "Dion loyalists" were accusing Michael Ignatieff supporters of undermining by-election efforts. Though Ignatieff phoned up Dion to deny the allegations, the Globe and Mail suggested that the report had a negative impact on the Liberals' morale, citing the NDP's widening lead after the article's release.

The by-election was seen as a crucial test for Dion's leadership, as the Liberals attempting to regaining popularity in Quebec since the loss during the 2006 federal elections.