The Conservative victory in a key Quebec byelection Monday and the party's close second in another were undoubtedly welcomed in the prime minister's office.

But they may also reveal one of Stephen Harper's weaknesses in that province.

The two Conservative candidates in those ridings have a common background: municipal politics.

Denis Lebel, who took Roberval-Lac-Saint-Jean from the Bloc, is the mayor of Roberval, while Bernard Barré, the runner-up in Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot was a city councillor and deputy mayor of Saint-Hyacinthe.

They both brought to their respective races something the Conservative party is sorely lacking in Quebec — strong, local organizational teams.

Candidates from other parties tend to be backed by central organizations that help them staff their offices and run their campaigns. In these byelections, the Conservatives look to have been successful by piggy-backing on the local machinery their candidates already had.

A case in point, the Conservative candidate, a former diplomat, in the third riding up for grabs, Outremont, placed a distance fourth in Monday's vote.