A Liberal party stronghold will stay red at the federal level after Ottawa-Vanier voters elected Mona Fortier their new Member of Parliament Monday night.
A byelection was held in the east-Ottawa riding to replace longtime MP Mauril Belanger, who passed away Summer 2016 after a fight with ALS.
"Ottawa-Vanier hasn't had a sitting MP for the past 15 months and I'm hoping that I can start working on different priorities," Fortier told reporters at her victory party. "Infrastructure spending, affordable housing is a must. I want, also, to bring some jobs to Ottawa-Vanier."
Fortier is familiar with the territory having worked on several of Belanger's re-election campaigns. The riding has only ever sent Liberals to Parliament Hill, voting for the Grits in every election since 1935.
There were four other federal byelections Monday, all to replace prominent politicians including former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former Foreign Affairs Minister Stephanie Dion. There will be no new seating arrangement in the House of Commons as all ridings voted as they did in 2015.