Qubec Solidaire keeps its two seats, adds third

Qubec Solidaire kept its two seats in the National Assembly in Monday's election and gained a third in the Montreal riding of Saint-Marie-Saint-Jacques.

The party's co-spokesperson,FranoiseDavid, held on to her seat in the Montreal riding of Gouin and Amir Khadir has won in the Montreal riding of Mercier that he's held since 2008.

Their colleague, ManonMass, defeatedLiberal Anna Klisko in a see-saw battle that sawfewer than 100 votes separating the twoin Saint-Marie-Saint-Jacques.

Manon claimed 30.6 per cent of the popular vote while Klisko took 30.3 per cent.

David offers challenge to premier-designate Couillard

In her victory speech, David said a Liberal majority won with 41 per cent of the popular vote raises questions about Quebec's electoral system.

"The way elections are held here completely falsifies the results of elections. When will we have an electoral system that will be proportional so that everybody who votes feels like their vote is counted," she said.

She challenged Liberal leader and premier-designate Philippe Couillard to commit his party to defending Quebec's environment, its poor, its public health-care system and its culture.

"You are going to be faced by a left-wing opposition that is ecological, feminist, sovereigntist," she said. "We will always fight for social progress, the ecology, and the defence of [Quebec]."

High hopes

Qubec Solidaire hit the campaign trail hoping to build on the seats held by David and Khadir.

Viewed as a fringe party on the far left of Quebecs political spectrum when it emerged in 2006, Qubec Solidaire won six per cent of the popular vote in the 2012 provincial election in which David won her seat in Gouin and Khadir was re-elected in Mercier.

They increased that share of the popular vote slightly in Monday's election to around seven per cent.

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The party fielded 124candidates in 2014 exactly 50 per cent men and 50 per cent all bearing a message of a greener, more just and independent Quebec.

Qubec Solidaire hadhigh hopes for David's co-spokesperson,Andrs Fontecilla, who is running in the Liberal stronghold of Laurier-Dorion, and party stalwartManon Mass, who won in Montreal's Saint-Marie-Saint-Jacques riding.

Fontecilla lost to Liberal Gerry Sklavounos.

Taking on the PQ

Qubec Solidaire spent the early part of the election fending off invitations to its members to join the ranks of the Parti Qubcois, its chief rival.

David worked to parlaythose invitations to Qubec Solidaires advantage when the PQ announced media magnate Pierre Karl Pladeau as its candidate for Saint-Jrome.

David responded to the announcement with a harsh denouncement ofPladeau, whose company,Quebecor, implemented lengthy labour lockouts at a number of its Quebec newspapers.

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"Never, never, will a Qubec Solidaire MNA sit next to Pierre Karl Pladeau [in the National Assembly]," she said.

Qubec Solidaire proceeded to portray itself as the true voice of left-leaning, sovereignty-supporting Quebecers, a move that led to speculation that the party could lure thelabour vote away from the PQ.

The party's efforts to steal votes from the PQ won crucial support last week when Jean Dorion, a prominent advocate for Quebec's independence, urged like-minded voters to support Qubec Solidaire or Option Nationale, another pro-independence party, instead of the PQ.