If this polls out for the NDP, what a blow for the illustrious leader of HM’s loyal opposition, Stephane Dion. How embarrassing! The guy is losing seats in Quebec to the NDP.  Or another way of saying it, of all the parties to lose seats to in Quebec, Dion is losing to the NDP!

The Unimarket-La Presse poll published Friday suggests that NDP candidate Thomas Mulcair, a former Quebec Liberal environment minister, holds a six percentage-point lead over Liberal candidate Jocelyn Coulon.

“It looks like the NDP may win this riding. That’s a big win for them,” Robert Fife, CTV’s Ottawa bureau chief, told Newsnet on Friday.

If Mulcair does win, he would be the first NDP MP from Quebec since consumer advocate Phil Edmonston won a byelection in 1990.

Liberals have held Outremont almost continuously since 1935, except when a Progressive Conservative won an election there for one term starting in 1988. Former Liberal MP Jean Lapierre won the riding by about 2,600 votes in the 2006 federal election.

The Liberals had been expected to hold Outremont. The possibility they might lose has the party hitting the emergency button.

“I’ll give you an idea of how much of a panic the Liberals are in,” Fife said. “They told all their workers in Ottawa to get to Montreal this weekend. They need them on the ground to bring out the vote in Outremont.”

The poll bodes ill for Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, he said.

“He is a Quebec leader. He was elected on the basis of being able to win seats in Quebec, to carry Quebec, and he will not be able to do this if this poll is correct. … And that’s going to raise a whole lot of questions about whether he’s the right leader,” Fife said.