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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suffered another setback.
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His Liberal Party lost a seat in parliament, which it had held for most of the previous century.
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It is Trudeau’s second straight defeat in less than three months.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau This week his party suffered a new setback after losing a seat in parliament it had held for most of the last century.
Trudeau’s Liberal Party lost in Montreal’s La Salle-Émard-Verdun constituency to the Bloc Québécois, according to final results was released early Tuesday morning.
Liberal candidate Laura Palestini lost by 0.8% to Bloc Québécois’ Louis-Philippe Sauvé, with 27.2% of the vote to her opponent’s 28%. NDP candidate Craig Sauvé came in third.
It was one of the most exciting three-way matches in recent history, with the leaders swapping positions during the count, according to CBC.
It is also the second consecutive defeat for Trudeau’s party in a by-election in less than three months, a result that is likely to increase pressure on the prime minister to resign.
Trudeau already faced calls from his party to resign after losing Toronto-St. Paul, a safe seat in downtown Toronto that the Liberals had won held since 1993 — to the Conservatives in a by-election in June, per CTV News.
Over the past year, the Liberal Party has polled at the federal level far behind the Conservative Party, which now has 25% of the vote compared to 43% for the Conservative Party.
According to an Ipsos poll conducted between September 5 and 9, 2024, to put down his approval rating at 33%. Two-thirds of Canadians disapproved of his leadership, citing disappointment over the cost of living and the housing crisis.
Meanwhile, his Conservative rival, Pierre Poilievre, was the favourite for prime minister with 45%, compared to Trudeau’s 26%.
Last Friday, Trudeau told the Montreal radio station CJAD 800 that he would not resign if his party lost the elections in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun and promised to remain as party leader until the next elections in October 2025.
Before the election results were known, Andrew Perez, a longtime Liberal Party supporter and strategist, said another defeat would be “another nail in Justin Trudeau’s coffin.”
“If Trudeau’s Liberals cannot hold on to this safe seat, it will mean even greater problems for the party’s prospects in Quebec and across Canada in a crucial election year,” he said in a X-message on tuesday.
“It’s going to be very difficult for them to get around the narrative that the government is essentially done,” said Lori Turnbull, a Canadian political analyst and professor at Dalhousie University. Politics.
It remains unclear whether Trudeau’s government will remain in power until the next federal election.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to table a motion of no confidence in Trudeau’s government “as soon as possible” when parliament reconvenes in a bid to trigger a federal election. CBC.
However, Poilievre would need the support of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Québécois to call an election. It is unclear whether either party will sign the motion. CBC.
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