Liberals last of major parties to choose provincial candidate for Ottawa-Vanier byelection

The byelection for the provincial riding of Ottawa-Vanier is expected to be called within weeks if not days of the Liberalnomination candidate being selected on Saturday.

While the riding is considered a Liberal stronghold, the Liberals are the last of the three major parties to choose acandidate for the race to replace former MPP and auditor general Madeleine Meilleur.

Choosing a Liberal candidatewas likelydelayed when Ottawa-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury Meilleur's apparent successor declined the offer to run provincially.

Three women are standing for the Liberal nomination:

• Lucille Collard, a staff lawyer for the Federal Court of Appealand a school boardtrustee since 2010.
• Nathalie Des Rosiers, the dean of common law at the University of Ottawa, and formerly the general counsel at the CanadianCivil Liberties Association. In 2013, she was named to the Order ofCanada.
• Persvrance Mayer, co-founder of the Ligue des Africains du Canada. She declined to speak with Radio-Canada ahead ofSaturday's nomination meeting.

Premier Kathleen Wynne, who's been in town for a couple days, is expected to be at nomination meeting being held Saturday atcole secondaire publique De La Salle.

Although the byelection doesn't have to be called until January, the government isexpected to call it soon once the Liberals get their electoral ducks in a row.

The Progressive Conservatives announced a star candidatelast month in former Ontario ombudsman Andre Marin, who is probablybest-known for scathing reports aboutHydro One overbillingcustomers and treating them "abominably."Indeed, heappears to be basing much of his campaign taking aim at the Liberals' electricity policiesand prices.

Marin is also known for openly campaigning to extend his position as ombudsman, and for spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer money for him to commute to his Queen's Park job from his home in Ottawa.

The NDP selected its candidate Claude Bisson in the summer.

Retired from a 30-year careerin the RCMP, Bisson lists a multitude of ways he's been involved in the community, from coachinggirls hockey to helping stop the destruction of the forest along Bathgate Road.

Bisson has also been involved in NDP politicsat a familial level, working on the campaign of his younger brother Gilles, the longtime NDP MPP for Timmins-James Bay.

The Green Party of Ontario doesn't have a date set yet for its nomination, but is expected to announce one within days.