(Bloomberg) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he heard voters’ “concerns and frustrations” and vowed to work hard to address their issues after his Liberal Party suffered a stunning defeat in a special election in Toronto.
Most read from Bloomberg
The Conservative Party’s landslide victory in the Toronto-St. Paul’s parliamentary race on Monday dealt a major blow to Trudeau and his government ahead of national elections expected next year. The results show a district that has voted Liberal in every election since 1993, showing that even the safest Liberal enclaves are up for grabs as Trudeau’s popularity plummets.
The loss is likely to increase pressure on Trudeau to step aside before the next election, as Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre rises in the national polls. The results show that the Conservatives, who typically rely on rural and western districts for support, are now competitive in urban areas that have been critical to Trudeau’s electoral success.
“This was clearly not the outcome we wanted, but I want to be clear that I hear your concerns and frustrations,” Trudeau said in a statement issued Tuesday.
“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.”
The prime minister, who appeared at a media event in Vancouver but did not answer questions, gave no indication that he plans to quit. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters Tuesday that Trudeau is determined to lead the Liberals into the next election.
While the result does not change the balance of power in Ottawa, it was widely seen as an important litmus test for Trudeau. Poilievre’s Conservatives have a double-digit lead in the polls and would be on track to win a majority government if these numbers hold in a national vote.
Monday’s results are “nothing short of catastrophic for the Liberals,” said David Coletto, CEO of polling firm Abacus Data.
If all Ontario ridings experienced the same electoral shift as Toronto-St. Paul’s did Monday, the Liberals could lose more than 55 seats to the Conservatives in the next election, Coletto estimated.
Many of these are “seats that the Liberals couldn’t even imagine losing to the Conservatives just a few months ago,” he said.
The Liberals currently hold 155 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons.
–With assistance from Brian Platt and Thomas Seal.
Most read from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2024 BloombergLP
