OTTAWA, Oct 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal
Party held onto power in a nail-biter of a Canadian general election on
Monday, but as a weakened minority government.
Television projections declared the Liberals winners or leading in 157 of
the nation’s 338 electoral districts, versus 121 for his main rival Andrew
Scheer and the Conservatives, after polling stations across six time zones
closed.
As early as Tuesday, Trudeau will have to form an alliance or formal
coalition with one or more smaller parties in order to govern.
The first test of his future government will follow in the subsequent
weeks with a speech to parliament outlining his legislative priorities and a
confidence vote.
The 47-year-old former school teacher dominated Canadian politics over the four years of his first term, but faced a grilling during the 40-day election campaign, which was described as one of the nastiest in Canadian history.
Scheer, meanwhile, only two years after winning the leadership of his
party, struggled to win over Canadians with his bland minivan-driving dad
persona and a throwback to the thrifty policies of past Tory administrations.
His Conservatives had stood alone among all of the parties in pledging
austerity measures to return to a balanced budget within five years.
Surging social democrats and resuscitated Quebec separatists also appeared
to have chipped away at Liberal support.
The Bloc Quebecois came back from a ruinous 2015 election result, tapping
into lingering Quebec nationalism to take 32 seats, while the New Democratic Party (NDP) won 25 seats, according to projections.
Some 27.4 million Canadians were eligible to vote in the election, and a
large turnout was expected but that won’t be confirmed until Tuesday morning.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, a leftist former criminal defense lawyer, is the
first non-white leader of a federal political party in Canada, and will
likely emerge as kingmaker.
The Green Party, hopeful for a breakout, managed to add only one seat,
bringing its tally to three. — NNN-AGENCIES
