I like Ménard a lot too, WCL.  The two seats, Hochelaga and St-Laurent--Cartierville, make for two very good test-runs for the NDP in Montreal, I believe: one an east-end francophone seat in the top-ten of low-income ridings in the country with the second-highest percent tenants in 2006; the other a west-island seat in the top 10% of ethnically-diverse ridings and the highest proportion of Arab voters, still a very high rate of tenants, and again a very high percent of low-income residents.

The Bloc didn't have much vote to speak of in Dion's old riding, while the Conservatives didn't have much against Ménard.  The question is, with the incumbents gone, who can scoop up the Liberal vote in StL-C and the Bloc vote in Hochelaga.  Obviously the parties that hold the seats will try to run high-profile candidates to keep them.  I'm looking forward to seeing how things unfold, and I'm glad to hear the Hochelaga preparations are already well underway just in case.