Mount Royal

Located in the heart of the Island of Montreal, Mount Royal was a compact urban riding encompassing the independent municipalities of Côte-Saint-Luc, Hampstead, and the Town of Mount Royal, as well as a significant portion of the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. The riding sat on the western slope of the mountain that gives it its name.

Candidates

Irwin Cotler (Liberal) — A professor of law at McGill University and director of its Human Rights Program, Cotler was an internationally renowned human rights lawyer who had served as counsel to prisoners of conscience including Nelson Mandela, Andrei Sakharov, and Natan Sharansky. First elected in a 1999 by-election with an overwhelming mandate, he served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada under Prime Minister Paul Martin from 2003 to 2006. During that tenure he initiated reforms to the Supreme Court appointment process and shepherded the Civil Marriage Act through Parliament. He was seeking his sixth term in Mount Royal, a riding that had been in Liberal hands continuously since 1940.

Saulie Zajdel (Conservative) — A longtime Montreal city councillor who represented the districts of Victoria and Darlington in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce from 1986 to 2009, Zajdel had served on the city's executive committee from 1994 to 2001. A former Liberal who had considered running for the party in the 1999 Mount Royal by-election, he switched to the Conservatives citing the Harper government's foreign policy positions. He was considered the Conservatives' strongest-ever challenger in the riding.

Jeff Itcush (NDP) — Originally from Regina, Itcush had lived in Montreal since 1989 and had been active with the NDP for about fifteen years, serving on the party's federal council and Quebec executive. NDP leader Jack Layton spoke at his nomination meeting.

Gabriel Dumais (Bloc Québécois) — Dumais carried the Bloc banner in a riding where the party had minimal base support.

Brian Sarwer-Foner ran for the Green Party, Diane Johnston for the Marxist-Leninist Party, and Abraham Weizfeld as an independent.

About the Riding

Mount Royal was one of Canada's most diverse and densely populated ridings. Côte-des-Neiges, which contributed a large share of the riding's population, was one of the most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in Canada, home to over 100 distinct ethnic communities and a large immigrant and student population drawn by the proximity of the Université de Montréal. The riding had the highest concentration of Jewish residents in Quebec, with the community centred in Côte-Saint-Luc and Hampstead.

The Town of Mount Royal was an affluent planned community developed in the early twentieth century around a Canadian Northern Railway tunnel, characterized by tree-lined streets and single-family homes. Côte-Saint-Luc and Hampstead were established residential suburbs with strong community institutions. The riding's economy was driven by educational institutions, healthcare — the Jewish General Hospital was a major employer — retail, and professional services.

The 2011 contest was notable for the intensity of the Conservative challenge. The riding's large Jewish community had become increasingly receptive to Conservative outreach on Middle East policy, making Mount Royal a rare Montreal target for the party. The race marked the most competitive challenge to Liberal dominance in the riding in decades.