Liberal candidate Emmanuella Lambropoulos has won the Saint-Laurent byelection. The results were finalized in the Liberal stronghold at 10:45 p.m., 75 minutes after polls closed. Lambropoulos had an easy lead with 56 per cent of the vote ahead of Conservative Jimmy Yu at 22 per cent. "I’m sure it’s going to hit me a little later but it’s a little overwhelming right now. It’s an amazing feeling and I’m really happy that Saint-Laurent residents spoke out. They wanted a local candidate, somebody they feel has lived through similar experiences to themselves and someone they felt they could connect with. I feel like that played a big role," she said. Lambropoulos held onto the seat for the Liberals against competitors Yu, William Fayad of the Bloc Quebecois, Mathieu Auclair of the New Democratic Party and Green Party member Daniel Green. In hard numbers: The seat was left vacant after the retirement of former Liberal leader Stephane Dion. Dion, who now serves as Canada’s ambassador to Germany and the European Union, won the riding eight consecutive times dating back to 1996. A Liberal stronghold, this race was closely watched after the surprise win by the 26-year-old high school teacher Lambropoulos for the Liberal candidacy, over well-known candidate Yolande James. Longtime Saint-Laurent Mayor Alan DeSousa was also barred from the Liberal race without explanation by the party. There were a total of five races in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, with no change to seats across the board. With files from The Canadian Press
