Outremont

Centered on the borough of Outremont on the northern slope of Mount Royal, this Montreal riding also takes in the eastern portion of Côte-des-Neiges, the western stretch of Mile End in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, and slivers of Parc-Extension, La Petite-Patrie, and upper downtown Ville-Marie. The riding had been held since a landmark 2007 by-election by Tom Mulcair, whose surprise victory for the NDP in what had been a Liberal bastion since 1935 heralded the party's broader breakthrough in Quebec.

Candidates

Tom Mulcair (NDP) — The leader of the Official Opposition and head of the federal NDP, Mulcair held law degrees from McGill University and had been admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1979. Before entering federal politics, he served as a Quebec Liberal member of the National Assembly for Chomedey from 1994 to 2007, including a stint as minister of sustainable development, environment, and parks under Premier Jean Charest. In that role, he championed legislation recognizing the right to a healthy environment in the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. He became NDP leader in 2012 following the death of Jack Layton.

Rachel Bendayan (Liberal) — A commercial litigation and international arbitration lawyer at Norton Rose Fulbright, Bendayan held a law degree from McGill University and also taught at the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Law. She mounted an energetic door-to-door campaign seeking to return Outremont to the Liberal fold.

Rodolphe Husny (Conservative) — An accountant by training, Husny had served as a senior advisor in the federal government and as press secretary to the Minister of International Trade. He had also run as the Conservative candidate in Outremont in 2011.

About the Riding

Outremont is a riding of striking contrasts. The borough of Outremont itself is a prosperous francophone residential area, while Mile End is a hub of Montreal's creative and technology sectors, home to video game studios, indie music labels, and a thriving café culture alongside a longstanding Hasidic community. Côte-des-Neiges and Parc-Extension are among Montreal's most diverse and densely populated neighbourhoods, with large immigrant populations and lower median incomes. The Université de Montréal campus borders the riding. The 2015 race in Outremont attracted national attention because Mulcair—the leader of the NDP and a contender for prime minister—faced the prospect of losing his own seat as the Liberal wave swept across Quebec. He held on, but the NDP's Quebec caucus shrank dramatically from the heights of 2011.