Federal Liberals face blowback from voters after Housefather demotion

There continues to be a lot of angry reactions to the news that the Member of Parliament for Mount Royal, Anthony Housefather, was demoted, especially from some residents in his riding.

Housefather has served as parliamentary secretary since December but was relieved of those duties last weekend.

Political analysts have been speculating that it was retribution on the part of the Liberal party after Housefather was the only member to vote against Bill C-13, the federal language bill, which referred to Quebec's Bill 96.

At the time, the Montreal MP spoke out about Bill 96's use of the notwithstanding clause, which shields it from court challenges, saying he didn't want it to be incorporated into federal law.

In May, he explained his thinking on the matter to CTV News, saying it was a matter of principle.

"I couldn't, in good conscience, look myself in the mirror if I voted in favour of the bill and had a unanimous vote in the House of Commons, leaving the English-speaking community feeling isolated," Housefather said.

Housefather has declined to comment about losing his position but people in his riding said on Tuesday that they support the comments Housefather has made in the past.

One resident said she thought he did the right thing and that she had a newfound respect for Housefather, while another also thought it was a mistake for Trudeau to remove someone just because they spoke out.

He said he thought the Liberal party would pay the price, come election time.

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Because this was a whipped vote -- meaning MPs were pressured to vote along party lines -- it's a prime example, said one political analyst, of the restrictive political culture that exists in Canada, where MPs are discouraged from voting however they want, especially if that is contrary to what the party wants.

"It's a tradition, we have been doing that for a long time," said Daniel Beland, Director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada.

"I think that what we've seen in Canada over recent decades is a concentration of power in the hands of the prime minister, the Prime Minister's Office and once the government decides to do this, or that, resistance is futile," Beland said.

Now, the newly elected MP for the riding of NDG-Westmount is also facing questions about Housefather and the new federal language law.

On CJAD 800's morning show, Andrew Carter asked Anna Gainey if she would have voted for Bill C-13 if she had been an elected member then. Gainey said she wasn't sure.

"I don't know how I would have voted on C-13. I was quite preoccupied with running my campaign at that point. I will always stand up for the minority language community across the country, not just the one in our riding. So I would have had to take a closer look at the implications on our rights," she replied.

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While on the campaign trail, Gainey did commend Housefather publicly for his courage.

Voters in Gainey's riding told CTV News that they hope Gainey will exhibit the same type of courage if called upon in the future to speak up about C-13.

One voter said they can't vote for the Liberals if they're not going to stand up for plurality.