OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are facing a stern byelection test in a party stronghold in Montreal on Monday.

The race in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun has become a three-way battle between the Liberals, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP, with the Conservatives polling in a distant fourth place.

The competitiveness of the race is a sign of the times for the beleaguered Liberals. The seat is empty after the retirement of former Liberal MP David Lametti, who won it by more than 20 percentage points in the 2021 federal election.

But, in a recent poll, Mainstreet Research put the Bloc in the lead with 32 per cent, followed by the Liberals with 23 per cent and the NDP with 19 per cent. Poll aggregator 338Canada has the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois in a toss up, with both parties respectively at 29 and 28 per cent, followed by the NDP at 24.

Polls close tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET.

National Post

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