More than 60 urge voters in the Mount Royal riding to re-elect him, praising his advocacy for the English-speaking community and his efforts to tackle antisemitism.
Montreal’s English-speaking leaders rallied behind Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather this week, but one thing was missing from their endorsement: the Liberal Party of Canada.
“He has such dignity and always follows his conscience. You don’t want to lose a Member of Parliament like that,” said Mitchell Brownstein, mayor of Côte-St-Luc.
“This is very serious. We need a strong voice, and the only real voice on English issues from any party is Anthony.”
The endorsement also arrives at a difficult time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party, which has seen its poll numbers drop both nationally and in Quebec since 2022. But while Housefather remains in the Liberal caucus, the letter makes no mention of the party.
Since September, pressure has mounted on Trudeau after a string of by-election losses, including in Montreal’s LaSalle–Émard–Verdun. Trudeau, MP for the Papineau riding, was absent on the campaign trails in those races.
Now Trudeau is facing growing calls to resign. Housefather himself called this week for a “robust” discussion on whether Trudeau should remain as leader.
But this endorsement letter is a recognition of Housefather’s track record, said Joan Fraser, a former senator and signatory of the letter.
“It is a vote of confidence in Anthony Housefather for the next election. It’s not a partisan letter. There’s no reference to any political party,” she said. “That’s what parliamentary systems should be about — electing good MPs.”
In Mount Royal, the Conservatives have nominated Neil Oberman to challenge Housefather in the next election. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was seen Tuesday night at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Westmount, in the neighbouring Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount riding.
“The Liberal Party is in trouble,” said one shopper outside Cavendish Mall.
Another remarked that they like Housefather but feel the party has let him down.
“It’s going to be a very contested election,” said Christina Smith, mayor of Westmount and another signatory of the letter.
She emphasized that Housefather’s track record of community support and his vocal stance on issues like antisemitism and hate speech are the reasons she is backing him.
On Wednesday, Housefather responded to the letter, calling it “very touching.” He said he hopes to gain support from across the political spectrum.
“I hope to win re-election. I hope to win a substantial majority, and I hope people will again look at my long record of service,” he said.