NDP uproots Montreal incumbents

The astoundingorange wave that swept through Quebecon election night unseated many veteran MPs in Montreal, including Gilles Duceppe, whoresigned as Bloc Qubcois leader.

Historically, Montrealers have backed Liberal or Bloc candidates, but voters broke with tradition to snub several incumbents.

Prominent Liberals in Montreal and Laval including Marlene Jennings, Bernard Patry and Pablo Rodriguez lost to their lesser-known NDP rivals.

Denis Coderre, Justin Trudeau and Stphane Dion managed to hold on to their respective seats in Bourassa, Papineau and St-Laurent-Cartierville.

Irwin Cotler in Mont-Royal and Francis Scarpaleggia in Lac-Saint-Louis were also reelected.

Jennings acknowleged the disastrous results for her party, but doesn't believe it's the end of the Liberals in Quebec.

"I think that the Liberal Party, the heart is still there, the soul is still there. It's a question of working together, and rebuilding."

Jennings, who was first elected 14 years ago, was the first black woman from Quebec to sitin the House of Commons as an MP.

NDP winner says she ran for party, not against Duceppe

NDP candidate Hlne Laverdire beat Gilles Duceppe in Laurier-Sainte-Marie, a Bloc bastion.

Laverdire says no one should be surprised by Monday's election results, because people she met were keenfor political change.

"You could feel it walking around, you could feel the people interested. It's a movement for change, which is not only a few elected MPs, but which is far more profound than that."

Duceppe has represented the riding for a decade and a half, sincethe Blocwas first created.

Bloc incumbent Daniel Paill lost to NDP Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet in the east-end riding of Hochelaga, long considered a Bloc stronghold.

Tyrone Benskin won Jeanne-Le Ber for the NDP, defeating Bloc candidate Thierry St-Cyr by about 25 percentage points.

Once the sole NDP MP in Quebec, Thomas Mulcair cruised to victory in Outremont, winning over rival Liberal Martin Cauchon with more than 55 per cent of the popular vote.