Liberals, Montreal’s Italian community pin hopes on Di Iorio

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When Joey Saputo walked up to the podium at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre, he was not there as the head of a professional soccer team, nor as a member of one of Montreal's most prominent business dynasties.

Instead, Mr. Saputo was appearing at the campaign launch in his capacity as president of the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation, a coalition of high-profile organizations behind a projected called "Unitas" that aims to unify Montreal's Italian voices.

And by speaking in front of hundreds of people at the political event, Mr. Saputo sent a loud message: Montreal's Italian community is throwing all of its weight behind a single candidate in the Liberal nomination battle in Saint-Léonard-Saint-Michel, Nicola Di Iorio.

Mr. Di Iorio, a lawyer who gained prominence in Quebec for his fight against drunk driving, is officially running in an open nomination to represent the Liberals in the next election. With his show of force on Monday, however, he signalled he has all but sewn up the battle, which kicked off officially the next day.

Saint-Léonard-Saint-Michel is one of the safest Liberal ridings in the country, and party officials are hoping Mr. Di Iorio will become one of their stars in greater Montreal. The party is leaving nothing to chance: The top members of his campaign team are close supporters of Pablo Rodriguez, the chief organizer for the federal Liberals in Quebec, sources said.

Led by Montreal MP Justin Trudeau, the Liberals are banking on a fresh start in the federalist parts of Quebec in the coming election. The party was trounced by the Bloc Québécois in 2004, largely as a result of the sponsorship scandal, and sustained further losses in the NDP's Orange Wave in 2011. The view among Liberals is they need to take back seats that neighbour Saint-Léonard-Saint-Michel, such as Honoré-Mercier and Ahuntsic-Cartierville, if they want the slightest chance of forming the next government.

For members of the Italian community in Montreal, the Oct. 19 election is an opportunity to show a new face to the country after scandals involving politicians such as provincial minister Tony Tomassi and city councillor Frank Zampino.

At the federal level, Saint-Léonard-Saint-Michel has been represented since 2002 by Massimo Pacetti, who retired from politics after facing allegations of personal misconduct last year. Mr. Pacetti's predecessor was Alfonso Gagliano, the Liberal minister most closely identified with the sponsorship scandal.

"The community is wounded, the community needs an uplifting," said Dominic Perri, a municipal councillor who is endorsing Mr. Di Iorio. "We have to turn the page, pick ourselves up and send to Ottawa a man who has an impeccable reputation and is very competent, so that he reflects well not only on his riding, but the Italian community at large."

Mr. Iorio is campaigning on the principle that "honesty is a given, integrity is a must." Before officially jumping into the race he gathered endorsements, benefiting from his position as the secretary of the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation.

Another member of the foundation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Mr. Saputo and other senior members of the Italian-Canadian business community played a key role in garnering support for Mr. Di Iorio's candidacy.

"The so-called leaders of the Italian community, or at least some of the leaders, have recognized the quality of the candidate," the source said.

Mr. Di Iorio cancelled a planned interview with The Globe and Mail this week. Mr. Saputo refused to comment, although his spokesman said he was at the campaign launch in his capacity as president of the foundation.

Mr. Di Iorio, an expert in labour law, came to the public's attention when a tragedy struck his family. In 2010, his daughter was a passenger in a car driven by someone who had been drinking that rammed into a tree. She was in a coma for a month.

Mr. Di Iorio reacted by participating in the launch of "Cool Taxi" coupons, which can be used to get a taxi after a night out. The idea proved especially popular among parents, who feel less anxious when their children have them in their wallets.

The campaign brought much attention to Mr. Di Iorio, including an appearance on Quebec's most-watched television talk show, providing the foundation for his entry into politics.

He was one of more than a dozen people who expressed an interest in running for the nomination. However, the Liberal Party said only one other candidate – communications consultant Domenic Cusmano – will be at the nomination vote on June 11.

Mr. Trudeau has argued that holding open nominations is a key to renewing the Liberal brand. Still, the process has been known to highlight divisions in the party.

In an interview, Mr. Cusmano acknowledged he is the underdog and lacks "the support of the establishment." But he pointed out that he lives in the riding, unlike Mr. Di Iorio, and said he wants to represent all the area's communities, "not just the Italians."

"He is an outsider to the riding, and he is supported by outsiders as well," Mr. Cusmano said, pointing out that Mr. Saputo also does not live in Saint-Léonard-Saint-Michel. "There is a lot of resistance, and a little bit of resentment, to the idea that people from the outside should parachute somebody from the outside to be our member of Parliament."

A federal election has not officially been called yet, but party leaders and their political machines have wasted no time zeroing in on the key ridings where they want to pick up seats, or need to defend them. In Truro, N.S., the Conservatives are taking a challenge from a one-time Tory personally. And in Alberta, the NDP's surge to power is forcing a rethink at the federal level as voters consider the market for change. It all highlights the powerful political maxim that it is best be humble about your support – even a handful of seats could mean the difference between winning and losing. The campaign of inches has begun.