Westmount—Ville-Marie

Westmount—Ville-Marie is a federal riding in central Montreal encompassing some of the city’s most iconic neighbourhoods. The riding includes the City of Westmount, Old Montreal, the southwestern portion of downtown Montreal in the borough of Ville-Marie, the western part of the Plateau-Mont-Royal, and the portion of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce east of Hingston Avenue.

Candidates

Marc Garneau (Liberal) — The incumbent MP, Garneau was Canada’s first astronaut in space, flying aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on October 5, 1984. A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada with a PhD in electrical engineering from Imperial College London, Garneau served as a naval combat systems engineer and rose to the rank of Captain (Navy) in the Canadian Forces before leaving the military in 1989. He flew on three Space Shuttle missions in total. From 2001 to 2005, he served as president of the Canadian Space Agency. Garneau entered politics in 2006, losing in Vaudreuil—Soulanges before winning the Westmount—Ville-Marie seat in 2008. He was among the most prominent Liberal MPs heading into the 2011 campaign.

Joanne Corbeil (NDP) — Corbeil ran as the NDP candidate in Westmount—Ville-Marie, benefiting from the party’s unprecedented surge in Quebec. Limited public biographical information was available about her heading into the 2011 campaign.

Neil Drabkin (Conservative) — A Montreal-born lawyer, Drabkin completed his law studies at McGill University and the Université de Montréal, earning degrees in both civil and common law. He was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1989. Before running in 2011, Drabkin had served as chief of staff to federal cabinet minister Stockwell Day during Day’s tenure overseeing public safety, international trade, and the Treasury Board.

Véronique Roy (Bloc Québécois) — Roy carried the Bloc Québécois banner in the riding. Limited public biographical information was available about her heading into the 2011 campaign.

Andrew Carkner (Green Party) — Carkner ran as the Green Party candidate in the riding.

Victoria Haliburton (Rhinoceros) and Bill Sloan (Communist) also stood as minor-party candidates.

About the Riding

Westmount—Ville-Marie is one of Canada’s most economically diverse ridings, spanning from the affluent tree-lined streets of Westmount to the densely populated apartment blocks of the Plateau and the commercial towers of downtown Montreal. The riding is home to two major universities — McGill University and Concordia University — as well as major hospitals including the Montreal General Hospital. Old Montreal, at the riding’s eastern edge, is a hub for tourism and the technology sector.

Westmount itself is one of the wealthiest municipalities in Canada, with grand stone residences, manicured parks, and a historically anglophone character — roughly 55 percent of Westmount residents reported English as their mother tongue in 2011. By contrast, the Plateau sections of the riding are predominantly francophone, younger, and more bohemian in character, with a strong arts and culture scene.

The riding’s economy is dominated by the service sector, financial services, higher education, healthcare, and cultural industries. Downtown Montreal within the riding contains corporate headquarters, government offices, and major retail corridors. The riding had a population of approximately 97,000 and was among the most linguistically and culturally diverse in the country, with large immigrant communities alongside established anglophone and francophone populations. Heading into 2011, local concerns included affordable housing, urban infrastructure, and the impact of major hospital construction projects on surrounding neighbourhoods.