Canadian Liberals Suffer Election Upset
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Canada’s Liberals suffered a major upset in a Toronto special election on Monday, which many are saying could signal the demise of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The Details: Opposition conservative candidate Don Stewart won the Toronto-St. Paul’s district with 42.1% of the vote over Liberal candidate Leslie Church’s 40.5%. The result marks the first time the Conservatives beat the Liberals in a Toronto city election since 2011.
For Context: Toronto-St. Paul’s is an affluent district seen as a stronghold for the Liberals, who have held the district since 1993. Trudeau and the Liberals have seen low approval ratings lately, with a recent poll suggesting that 68% of Canadians want the prime minister, who will be up for reelection in fall 2025, to step down. Issues plaguing Trudeau’s administration in recent years include a housing crisis, high inflation, and his unconstitutional use of The Emergency Powers Act to break up the Freedom Convoy, among others.
Key Quotes: Trudeau said, “These are not easy times. And it is clear, that I and my entire Liberal team, have much more hard work to do to deliver tangible, real progress that Canadians can see and feel.” On X, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called for a snap election and said, “Trudeau can’t go on like this.”
How The Media Covered It: Media across the spectrum expressed a dismal outlook for Trudeau and the Liberals. Michael Cuenco, writing for UnHerd (Center bias), said the election was “touted by commentators” as a “referendum” on Trudeau.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Canada’s Liberals suffer major upset in Toronto special election, raising doubts about Trudeau![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Left AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Left](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-leaning-left.png)
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party has suffered a major upset in a special election for a Toronto district it has held for three decades, raising doubts about Trudeau’s leadership ahead of next year’s general election.
Elections Canada reported Tuesday that opposition Conservative candidate Don Stewart won the Toronto-St. Paul’s district by almost 600 votes, 42.1% over the Liberal candidate’s 40.5% with all 192 polling stations reporting results of Monday’s voting.
“This was obviously not the result we wanted, but I want to be clear that I hear the...
From the Right
Trudeau In Trouble After Conservative Upset In Toronto "Must-Win" Special Election![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Right AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Right](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-leaning-right.png)
Two years ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared war on conservatives - invoking the Emergencies Act to punish protesting truckers in a move that was ruled flatly unconstitutional in January.
Now, his political future is on the line after the ruling liberal party lost a key 'safe seat' in the Toronto-St. Paul's special election.
In an upset victory, Conservative candidate Don Stewart beat Liberal Leslie Church by a slim, but hugely significant 590 votes, dislodging a seat that the governing Liberals have held for more than 30 years.
In response to the win, Conservative leader Pierre Poilivere...
From the Center
Justin Trudeau’s party suffers shock defeat in Toronto by-election![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Center AllSides Media Bias Rating: Center](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-center.png)
![](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/styles/feature_image_300x200/public/GettyImages-1628189651.jpg?itok=-oNeu8C0)
Results are in for last night’s by-election to the Canadian parliament: voters in the constituency of Toronto-St Paul’s elected the Conservative candidate Don Stewart over his Liberal opponent Leslie Church, taking one seat away from the government party and giving it to Pierre Poilievre’s official opposition. The count took longer than usual due to abnormally large ballots, the result of dozens of protest candidacies, meaning the suspense lasted until the winner being was around 5am the next day, when Canadians woke up to what could be an altered political landscape.
By-elections...
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