The New Democrats have lost their footing in Quebec after losing a majority of the party’s seats across the province on Monday night.
Alexandre Boulerice, the NDP’s Quebec lieutenant and the incumbent in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, is the only confirmed candidate from the party to win a seat in Quebec. He told Global News he was happy to still represent his Montreal riding, but admitted he was disappointed with the outcome.
“Of course, I’m a little bit disappointed with the results in Quebec,” he said. “But it looks like we will have a Liberal minority government so parliament will be quite different and we can have the balance of power, the NDP.”
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The blow comes eight years after the left-leaning federal party’s so-called orange wave swept through the volatile province.
In 2011, the NDP became the Official Opposition in parliament after claiming 103 seats across Canada largely due to a historic breakthrough in Quebec. The New Democrats under Jack Layton claimed 59 of the 75 seats in the province.
Under the leadership of Tom Mulcair, the party fell to third place in the 2015 federal election when it lost more than half of its seats and only won in 16 ridings in Quebec.
This time, the New Democrats sank to fourth place with 24 seats across the country — landing behind the surging Bloc Québécois. In fact, Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet ousted NDP incumbent Matthew Dubé in Beloeil-Chambly as the party made a crushing comeback.
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In Quebec, the NDP lost a majority of its 13 seats to the sovereignist party. Ruth Ellen Brousseau, a star NDP candidate first elected in 2011, was narrowly defeated as the incumbent in the Berthier—Maskinongé riding.
The Liberals also ousted the NDP from the Laurier-Sainte-Marie riding, which has been a battleground between the New Democrats and the Bloc since 2011.
In wake of the string of defeats, Boulerice struck a positive tone on Monday night. With a Liberal minority, he vows to fight on behalf of his constituents for environmental gains and bolstering social programs.
“We will negotiate and we will have a discussion with the Liberals and see how we can make gains for the people of Quebec, for workers, for seniors, for students,” he said.
“It’s going to be quite interesting.”
— With files from Global News’ Amanda Connolly
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