A well-known NDG city councillor is hoping to make a leap into federal politics.
Peter McQueen announced Sunday he will be seeking the NDP nomination for the newly drawn riding of NDG-Westmount.
McQueen is currently a city councillor in NDG for Projet Montreal.
The district was created by the federal electoral boundaries redistribution in 2012 and encompasses parts of the former Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine and Westmount—Ville-Marie ridings.
Liberal Marc Garneau currently holds the seat for Westmount—Ville-Marie and is expected to run again in the new riding. It was a tight race, however, in 2011; Garneau won the seat by only 642 votes over the NDP candidate.
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine is held by NDP MP Isabelle Morin.
McQueen said Sunday he feels the NDP have a good chance of winning the riding in the upcoming fall election.
"The policies NDG needs on transit, on housing... We've been in a housing crisis in NDG. No social housing has been built for 10 yrs, no middle-class housing, it's getting increasingly unaffordable to live here. These are the policies the NDP offers and I think they fit better with what NDG-Westmount-Montreal West," he said.
In the meantime, McQueen will continue to serve as city councillor. He will only leave that post if he wins the federal seat.
