Former NDP MP Boulerice officially exits Parliament to run in Quebec election

OTTAWA - Former Montreal MP Alexandre Boulerice has officially resigned from his seat to run in the upcoming Quebec election on October 5.

Boulerice, a longtime member of the NDP, represented the party for 15 years before leaving the caucus in April to become an independent. He was the last remaining MP from the 2011 NDP "orange wave," which won 59 seats in Quebec and gave the party official opposition status for the first time in its history.

NDP Leader Avi Lewis has been campaigning with Boulerice's provincial candidate in the riding, which is the only one the NDP held east of Manitoba. There are three byelections scheduled for August 31 in Toronto, North Vancouver and Quebec, with six more expected over the next few months to fill vacant seats.