The upstart Canadian Future Party launches into byelections does it have a shot? [Video]

As the Canadian Future Party officially introduced its candidate for the LaSalle-Émard-Verdun byelection on Thursday — a day after the party’s formal launch — questions lingered about voters’ appetite for a new option on the ballot.

Mark Khoury will run for the party in the Montreal riding, while Zbig Strycharzy was added to the ballot Thursday for the Elmwood-Transcona byelection.

Neither of the candidates’ biographies on the Canadian Future Party website mention them having run in any previous election or having any prior political affiliations.

And while interim party leader Dominic Cardy told reporters at the launch in Ottawa on Wednesday that “the polls” show Canadians want an alternative to the Liberals and Conservatives, some of Canada’s pollsters tell CBC News it’s too early to tell if there’s a real desire for a new party.

“I’m not sure if we can really see that there’s a lot of appetite for …