Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party has lost a key parliamentary seat in a special election in Montreal, putting fresh pressure on the Canadian leader to resign.
The tight loss in Montreal’s federal electoral district of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun marks Trudeau’s minority Liberal government’s second setback in three months. With all ballots counted, Liberal candidate Laura Palestini finished second to Bloc Quebecois candidate Louis-Philippe Sauvé.
According to one poll tracker, Trudeau’s approval rating has dropped from 63% when he first took office to 28% in June of this year. The Liberals are likely to lose the upcoming election to the Conservatives, Canada’s official opposition party.
Justin Trudeau has received calls to resign as party leader, including from within his own party, but refuses to step down. A move that could end the Liberal Party in Canada. Trudeau said he intends to continue on and lead the party into the next election, which is slated for October 2025.
Former Liberal minister David Lametti, who had held the seat since 2015, resigned in January, prompting the Montreal by-election.
On Tuesday, Trudeau stated that there were “all sorts of reflections to take” on what went wrong for the Liberals in the formerly safe seat. He stated that he and his staff would continue to focus on working for Canadians.
In June, Trudeau’s Liberals lost a Toronto federal seat they had held for 30 years to the opposition Conservative Party, signalling danger for the party, which has been in power since 2015.
The election might possibly be called sooner, after the NDP withdrew from an arrangement with the minority Liberals earlier this month, which had enabled them retain power.
Also on Monday, the progressive NDP narrowly retained a seat in a byelection in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The by-election in Winnipeg’s Elmwood-Transcona riding, or constituency, was held following the departure of long-time NDP member of parliament Daniel Blaikie in March.
The NDP retained the seat, a bastion for their party, with 48% of the vote.
The Conservatives finished second with 44% of the vote.
While the Liberals were not anticipated to win the Winnipeg constituency, there were some signs of trouble: their candidate received 5% of the vote, compared to 15% in the previous federal election.
In recent years, Canadian voters have shown growing dissatisfaction with the government over topics such as rising prices, a home affordability crisis, healthcare, and immigration.
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