MONTREAL – Canadians may think that Liberal leader Justin Trudeau just has to beat the NDP‘s Thomas Mulcair and current Prime Minister Stephen Harper to finish on top in the 2015 federal election.
But it seems he has several political enemies a little closer to home in his Montreal-area riding of Papineau.
READ MORE: Federal Election 2015: Papineau riding
Former journalist Anne Lagacé Dowson is the NDP’s candidate.
She lost to Liberal Marc Garneau after running for the NDP in the 2008 riding of Westmount-Ville-Marie.
“We campaigned flat out in Westmount and I think that was part of the beginnings of the orange wave, which struck in 2011,” Lagacé Dowson told Global News.
“I think what we’re seeing now is a consolidation of that Orange wave.”
The NDP selected Lagacé Dowson without holding a nomination period.
This prompted the President of the Papineau NDP association to step down, claiming that the process was undemocratic.
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Yvon Vadnais, also a former journalist, is representing the Conservatives.
“The people I’ve been talking to are all worried about three things: unemployment, the economy and security,” he said.
Vadnais believes the Conservative Party can address the particular concerns preoccupying constituents.
This time round, she said she thinks the conditions are ripe for her victory, and is aiming to attract voters who have become disenfranchised with the Bloc Québécois.
Trudeau has been the incumbent MP in the riding of Papineau since 2008.
Many constituents said they are Justin Trudeau supporters and associate him with his father, former Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
But the last federal election in 2011 was a tight race in Papineau.
Trudeau finished ahead of the NDP by only 4,000 votes and the Bloc Québécois didn’t trail far behind.
Anna Gainey, President of the Liberal Party of Canada, does not expect a close race this time around.
In fact, she’s confident that Trudeau will emerge victorious.
She told Global News that “we’ve got a bustling campaign office, full of volunteers. They’re motivated and they’re working hard. So, I’m confident that the base Justin has built over the last few years here will serve him very well.”
She explained the demographics of Papineau are unique.
“This is one of the most diverse ridings in the country,” said Gainey.
“I think that 50 per cent of the people here don’t identify their mother tongue as English or French. So it’s very multi-ethnic, diverse, and hard working.”
Maxime Claveau, the Bloc Québécois candidate, is optimistic about his party’s chances in the riding.
“I think we can get back the voters who voted for the NDP, because they were voting strategically,” he said.
“Now they see that the NDP hasn’t done the work. They haven’t represented Quebecers efficiently. So, I think a lot of sovereigntists will come back to the Bloc Québécois.”
Danny Polifroni is the Green Party candidate.
He ran in the 2011 general elections in the Papineau riding and for the Bourassa riding in a 2013 by-election.
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