Pierre Arcand elected in Mount-Royal

Accompanied by his wife and two children, the former president of Corus Quebec came out to a restaurant in Mount-Royal where about 40 close friends, volunteers and political supporters awaited him with good wishes and refreshments.

Wearing a red scarf, Arcand learned of his victory at 9:12 p.m. by Radio-Canada, and was said to be delighted with the result. Town of Mount-Royal Mayor Vera Danyluk was also on hand along with Councillors Fouad Sahyoun and Melpa Kamateros to congratulate the newly elected Member of the National Assembly (MNA).

"With the current results, we cannot say what the next government will be like” However, whatever will happen, I will make sure that Mount-Royal will be well represented in the National Assembly", said Arcand, to the applause of the crowd, Monday evening.

Reached by telephone the morning after the elections which gave Quebec a minority Liberal government, Arcand noted that "in the end we are happy, because we form the government nevertheless."

Referring to the example of the Stephen Harper minority government on the federal scene and the democratic Congress with which George W. Bush must deal with in the United States, the new MNA indicated that the "tendency in modern society is to govern with many."

The Mount-Royal resident for about 10 years acknowledged not having any idea how long the government will hold on. "For sure, the three principal parties will be called to work together,” he said.

Arcand prepares to leave for Quebec in the coming days in order to attend the Liberal Party caucus, which will allow for the strengthening of the ranks and changing the troops. "We will have to try to get familiar with the new political structure which is complex," he said.

The rate of participation in the riding of Mount-Royal was 54.45 percent, 23,045 voters out of 42,323 exercised their voting rights.

Translated by Michael Beigleman