No Shortage Of Hot, Lively Races In The 75 Federal Ridings Of Quebec

From The Montreal Gazette:

Election campaigns tend to focus on the main political leaders but, for the average voter, the choice of their local candidate can be just as interesting.

And there is no shortage of hot, lively races in the 75 federal ridings of Quebec.

In some ridings, just watching how the so-called "star" candidates fare is good sport. There are others where the margin of victory in the last election or by-election was so close the race is hard to call in advance.

Montreal will probably stay about as Liberal red as it is now, but off the island the race is expected to be fierce - especially between the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois. The Bloc would dearly love to take back ridings lost to the Conservatives in 2006 while the Conservatives are looking for gains.

Here are a few ridings worth keeping an eye on in the lead up to the Oct. 14 general election:

1. Papineau: After falling to the Bloc Québécois in an upset victory in the last campaign, the Liberals would dearly like to get the riding back. Their secret weapon for this election? Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau's son Justin Trudeau, who is making his first attempt to get elected. The Bloc candidate is Vivian Barbot, a formidable adversary for Trudeau.

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