On September 17 in my riding, there was a partial election that turned upside down the traditional party expectations. The Outremont riding has long been held by the Liberal party of Canada, but that night, the minority left-wing party, New Democratic Party, totally kicked their asses. Not only have they beat the Liberals in their own court, it is an extremely rare event for an NDP candidate to get elected in Québec at all.
Some are arguing for a sea change in Québec politics, others maintain that this is an exceptional event due to the paltry performance of the Liberals, and that partial elections are not to be trusted as an indicator of the political mood.
I was present at the election party held in a local bar, and nobody was sure of anything until the very last minute. Thanks to the bigass Sunpak 383 on to of my Pentax, I have had privileged access to all the best spots for taking pictures. The party organizers actually pushed people to let me pass and get closer to the action during the speeches. Even though I had no affiliation whatsoever.
Kids, next time you're covering event, walk slowly and carry a big camera if you want to take pictures.
This photo is the back of TV journalist David Gentile, who looks as if he is being kept on mind-control by his bosses at the CBC.
