The Conservatives narrowly won the seat of Toronto-St. Paul from the Liberals, in a massive political upheaval that is expected to increase political pressure on the Canadian prime minister. Justin Trudeau.
Candidate Don Stewart won the closely watched midterm elections by just over 500 votes.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre described Stewart’s victory as a “shock” and said locals “voted to abolish taxes, build houses, fix the budget and stop crime.”
Responding to the stunning loss, Trudeau said he heard Canadians’ “concerns and frustrations.”
Canadian political pundits have described the loss as a shocking embarrassment for Mr Trudeau and his party, as the constituency was considered a Liberal stronghold – the party had occupied it for 30 years.
Conservatives have long struggled to gain support in “Canada’s major urban cores,” so it’s notable that they have successfully “pushed into Fortress Toronto,” said Alex Marland, a professor of politics at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.
According to Elections Canada, Stewart won with about 42% of the vote and 15,555 votes were cast for him. Liberal candidate Leslie Church received 14,965.
The narrow result became clear in the early hours of Tuesday morning, after the Liberals remained in the lead for the first seven hours of counting.
In a statement on Tuesday, Ms Church said the “close outcome is disappointing, but it is a beginning and not an end”.
“Yesterday, voters in Toronto-St. Paul’s sent us a clear message that they want us to regain their trust. I hear that message loud and clear, and that is exactly what we intend to do.”
Mr. Trudeau said in a statement that this was “clearly not the outcome we wanted,” and vowed to listen to frustrated Canadians.
“These are not easy times. And it’s clear that I and my entire team have a lot more hard work to do to make tangible, real progress that Canadians can see and feel,” he said.
He also told reporters on Tuesday that he plans to stay on as Liberal leader despite the unrest.
“We will never stop working and fighting to make sure you get what you need to get through these difficult times,” he said. “My focus is on your success and it will remain that way.”
A number of his party members have since publicly supported the prime minister, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Dan Vandal, another Cabinet member of Trudeau’s government, said Canadians should ask themselves: “What kind of Canada do you want to live in?” while targeting Poilievre’s Conservatives.
“Do you want to live in a Canada where a government invests in its people, in healthcare, dental care, childcare and a whole host of other initiatives? Or do you want a Canada where everything is gradually cut back, what a Poilievre. The government will certainly do that,” Vandal said.
The outcome comes as Mr Trudeau has seen his popularity fall significantly since becoming prime minister in 2015, due to a host of issues including cost-of-living pressures affecting the population.
“Liberals should be concerned that polls showing frustration with their party are not a blunder or an aberration,” Marland told BBC News.
A recent Ipsos poll for Global News found that a whopping 68% of Canadians want Trudeau to resign.
However, Canada’s prime minister has repeatedly pledged to lead his party into the next national election, expected by October next year.
It would be his fourth time as Prime Minister.
Conservatives had said they did not expect to win the seat of Toronto-St Paul, and Canadian political pundits have said if the Liberals can lose a seat in downtown Toronto, they can lose anywhere.
Former MP Carolyn Bennett won the seat nine times before recently resigning to become the country’s ambassador to Denmark.
Tari Ajadi, a professor of politics at McGill University in Montreal, told BBC News that in previous years the seat would have been a “done deal” for Liberals, so “the result should terrify the party” as it struggles to reach voters .
“The victory sets up what is likely to be a ‘change’ election next year, putting the Liberals at a distinct disadvantage,” he said, noting that the Conservatives’ victory “cannot be attributed to any single issue” .
With additional reporting from Max Matza.
