Liberal MP Irwin Cotler stands during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, December 14, 2011.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The Liberal nomination race in Mount Royal is already heated, but there could be further intrigue in coming months as the party decides whether to encourage a potential star to enter the fray, sources said.
Two candidates are already in the running to fill the seat that is being vacated by the retiring MP Irwin Cotler: Côte St-Luc mayor Anthony Housefather and consultant Jonathan Goldbloom.
Mr. Housefather was the quickest candidate out of the blocks when the seat opened up in February, and his interest in the Liberal nod did not come as a surprise in party circles. In 1999, Mr. Housefather was one of the candidates who stepped aside when Mr. Cotler, an internationally renowned lawyer, agreed to run for the Liberals in a by-election.
The riding has a rich history among Liberals, given it was previously held by former leader and prime minister Pierre Trudeau. Mr. Housefather said he would have "tough shoes to fill," but added he is hoping for a quick process to select the Liberal candidate for the 2015 general election.
"I'm hoping it will happen as soon as possible," Mr. Housefather said in interview. "The more time that the candidate is on the ground as the [nominated] candidate, the better the chance we have to win the riding."
Still, Liberal officials told The Globe and Mail they are "not in a hurry" to call the nomination meeting in Mount Royal. The party is in talks with "big names" in Quebec, and while various landing spots are being contemplated, there is a possibility that a star candidate, such as someone with economic credentials, could be encouraged to run in Mount Royal, sources said.
Party officials added that such high-profiles candidates "are not likely to come out 15 months before the next election," which explains the desire to keep options open in key ridings that have a history as Liberal strongholds.
The Liberal Party, under the leadership of Mr. Trudeau's son, Justin, has adopted a policy of open nominations. Still, Mr. Trudeau has given himself the right to express his preference in individual races, and the party has put its weight behind certain candidates in some nomination battles.
Mr. Goldbloom, who is currently undergoing the "green-lighting" process to officially enter the race, added he agrees with the go-slow approach. A long-time Liberal adviser and organizer, and a close ally of former interim leader Bob Rae, Mr. Goldbloom acknowledged he is running behind Mr. Housefather.
"I only got started in May, while my principal opponent has been at this for much longer," he said in an interview. "I need a couple of months to really get into the game."
The Conservative Party had been mounting an offensive in Mount Royal in recent elections, banking on Prime Minister Stephen Harper's strong support for Israel to win votes in the riding's Jewish community. After seeing their share of the vote steadily grow, however, the Conservatives suffered a setback when their candidate in the riding, Saulie Zajdel, was charged with fraud as part of a corruption probe in 2013.
Mr. Housefather and Mr. Goldbloom, who are both Jewish, said they hope Mr. Trudeau will help the Liberals win back support in the riding, while ensuring that Israel will no longer be used as a "wedge issue."
"Our challenge is to remind people that Justin and the Liberal Party will be good friends of Israel and good friends of the region," Mr. Goldbloom said.
Mr. Housefather, who has obtained the support of many other municipal politicians in the riding, said he wants to continue his fight for minority rights on the federal stage. He said he has already signed up more than 1,800 members in the lead-up to the nomination.
"I am the mayor of the biggest city in the riding, I have won six consecutive elections in this riding, and I believe that I am the best-known candidate," he said. "I think that at this point, I am very much prepared to be a really outstanding Member of Parliament, and I hope the residents of my riding will agree with that and give me the opportunity to try to do so."
Mr. Goldbloom, who lives in the nearby riding of Westmount, is hoping to bank on the fact that the sovereigntist movement is undergoing a steady decline in Quebec.
"There is a desire to make Montreal work and Quebec work for all Quebeckers, and get away from the stale debate of federalism vs. independence," said the president of JGA Strategic Relations. "I bring a national perspective and a proven track record that I think the resident of Mount Royal will appreciate."
Daniel Leblanc is a parliamentary reporter in Ottawa.