Federal by-elections for four parliament seats held in Canada

By-elections for four federal parliament seats are being held on Monday in Canada and the opposition Liberal Party is expected to gain none of the seats.

Two of by-elections occur in the province of Quebec, while the other two are happening in the eastern province of Nova Scotia and the westend province of British Columbia respectively.

The official opposition Liberal Party is expected to be shut out of the all four by-elections. Analysts predict the Bloc Quebecois to win the two seats in Quebec and the New Democratic Party to get the one in British Columbia, with the Nova Scotia one going to the ruling Conservatives.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Anne McLellan, who leads the party's election readiness team, admitted that the Liberals hope only to improve their share of the vote during Monday's by-elections.

But McLellan said rival parties should not underestimate the power of his party, adding the Liberal Party is in the process of rebuilding and should not be counted out in the longer term.

Liberal fortunes have plunged since early September, when its leader Michael Ignatieff announced his intention to defeat the minority Conservative government at the earliest opportunity.

Later Ignatieff has had to withdraw that threat, saying he is taking consideration of the public's opinion, as a series of polls gave his party falling support from the public.

The Conservatives, who were reelected to a strengthened minority government last year, now hold 143 of the House of Commons' 308 seats. The Liberals have 77 seats, the NDP 36 and the Bloc Quebecois 48.

Source: Xinhua