The provincial Liberals announced Friday that David Heurtel will represent the party in the upcoming Viau byelection, to be held December 9.
Heurtel has headed the Olympic Installations Board and was previously a political adviser to former Parti Quebecois leader Bernard Landry.
When asked about his mixed allegiances, Heurtel said that recent developments in Montreal and Quebec have brought issues to the surface that he thinks need tending to, in order to, "revive Montreal."
He said that he wants to be part of the solution.
Heurtel also noted that while he has worked for the PQ, he was also involved in the Liberal party in his youth and has worked with both throughout his life.
Liberal leader Philippe Couillard announced on Nov. 6 that he would be running for the party in the riding of Outremont, seeking a spot in Quebec’s national assembly.
Both Outremont and Viau are considered to be Liberal strongholds.
Couillard is almost guaranteed a victory in Outremont as other major parties have promised not to run candidates against him.
The Viau riding has a large multi-ethnic demographic. Its provincial seat was vacated when Haitian-Canadian Emmanuel Dubourg recently resigned to run for federal politics in the Bourassa riding. The federal Bourassa seat had been vacated by longtime Liberal MP and current Montreal Mayor-Elect Denis Coderre.
Prior to 2007 the Viau seat in the provincial assembly was held by William Cusano, who is of Italian heritage.
-With a file from The Canadian Press
