TORONTO, June 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Conservatives have narrowly snatched the Toronto-St Paul’s seat from the Liberals, in a huge political upset that is expected to intensify political pressure on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Candidate Don Stewart won the closely watched by-election by a little more than 500 votes.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre described Stewart’s win as a “shocking upset”, saying locals “voted to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime”.
Canadian political experts have described the loss as a shocking embarrassment to Trudeau and his party, as the electoral district was considered a Liberal stronghold – the party had held it for 30 years.
Conservatives have long struggled to win support in “Canada’s major urban cores”, so it is remarkable that they have successfully “penetrated fortress Toronto”, said Alex Marland, a politics professor at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.
Stewart won with around 42% of the vote, with 15,555 ballots cast for him, according to Elections Canada. Liberal candidate Leslie Church took 14,965.
In a statement, Church said the “close result is disappointing, but it is a beginning, not an end”.
“Yesterday, voters in Toronto–St. Paul’s sent us a clear message, that they want us to re-earn their trust. I hear that message loud and clear, and that’s exactly what we plan to do.”
The outcome comes as Trudeau has seen a significant drop in his popularity since taking over as PM in 2015, due to a host of issues including cost-of-living pressures affecting the population.
The Canadian prime minister has repeatedly pledged to lead his party into the next nationwide poll – which is expected by October next year.
Former MP Carolyn Bennett won the seat nine times before her recent resignation to become the country’s ambassador to Denmark. — NNN-AGENCIES
