(Bloomberg) — Canada’s Conservative Party has won a special election in a downtown Toronto district, dealing a major blow to the prime minister Justin Trudeau‘s Liberal Party ahead of a national vote expected next year.
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Voters in Toronto-St. Paul’s chosen Conservative candidate Don Stewart in the House of Commons, flipping a seat that has voted Liberal in every election since 1993. Stewart won 42% of the vote, according to Elections Canada data — defeating Liberal candidate Leslie Church, a former finance aide. Chrystia Vrijlandwith about 600 votes.
The Tories’ win illustrates the cracks in Trudeau’s government, and the result is likely to increase pressure on the embattled prime minister to step aside before the next election. The Liberals have consistently made big gains in Canada’s largest city, keeping the party in power since 2015. But Monday’s loss signals that even traditional strongholds are not safe as Trudeau’s popularity wanes and the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, rise in the polls.
The Conservatives ran a campaign largely focused on the Liberals’ economic performance. Canada’s economy is growing at a sluggish pace, housing is unaffordable for many and high interest rates continue to frustrate borrowers.
The party also focused on the war between Israel and Hamas and tried to win support from the Jewish population that makes up about 11% of the district. Conservatives have repeatedly accused Trudeau of being too soft on Israel and failing to combat anti-Semitism at home.
Toronto-St. Paul’s was previously owned by Carolyn Bennett, a Liberal party stalwart and former minister who stepped aside to become Canada’s ambassador to Denmark.
–With help from Jacob Lorinc.
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