Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that his party needs to take stock after another humiliating Liberal defeat in a by-election, this time in Montreal.
Speaking to reporters before meeting with cabinet ministers after LaSalle-Emard-Verdun’s defeat, Trudeau said he was thinking about why voters turned their backs on the party and why some former Liberal supporters didn’t turn out to vote.
He said it was “no fun” to come so close to victory and fall short.
“Obviously, it would have been better if we had won and taken Verdun, but there’s still a lot of work to do and we’re going to remain focused on that,” Trudeau said.
Bloc Québécois candidate Louis-Philippe Sauve narrowly defeated Liberal candidate Laura Palestini in the by-election, a stunning upset given that this Montreal district has been controlled by the Liberal party for much of the past century.
Sauvé received 28 per cent of the vote, Palestini 27.2 per cent and NDP candidate Craig Sauvé 26.1 per cent – the difference between the Bloc and Liberal candidates was less than 250 votes.
The third-place finish was a disappointing one for NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who was a frequent visitor to the district during the election campaign.
The NDP held a caucus in Montreal last week and several members took turns canvassing doors, trying to win seats in a province that has fared badly for the party in recent years.
But Singh’s candidate narrowly won in Elmwood-Transcona, a long-time NDP safe seat, beating a Conservative candidate who was gaining momentum in working-class constituencies.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Monday night’s by-election results show the Liberal party is “no longer wanted by Canadians.” The NDP retained the electoral district of Elmwood-Transcona in Winnipeg with a narrow victory over the Conservative candidate, but finished third in another federal by-election in Montreal’s LaSalle-Emard-Verdun.
Singh told reporters that the party’s result in Winnipeg was a big win because it “demonstrated to Canadians that we can beat the Conservatives.”
“People are tired of the Liberal party. They’re tired of Justin Trudeau. They’re done for,” Singh said, calling on all progressive voters to unite with his party.
“We have a big fight ahead of us, but we can stop the Conservatives from making budget cuts,” Singh added, declining to answer a question about whether he would try to trigger a federal election this fall.
Winnipeg Liberal Leader Ian MacIntyre suffered the worst by-election result for a ruling party candidate in Canadian history.
He received less than 5% of the vote, too low to qualify for election. Elections Canada Refunds Eligible election expenses.
Trudeau suggested voter turnout may have played a role in his party’s defeat, saying in French that the party “needs to increase participation so that people understand that there is an important choice to be made in the next election.”
“We need people to be more engaged and understand what’s at stake in this upcoming election,” he said.
Trudeau has sought to position himself and his government as a bulwark against Prime Minister Pierre Poirievre, who he accuses of plotting to reverse progress on social and environmental issues.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there is “more work to do” following the Liberal candidate’s defeat in Montreal’s LaSalle-Emard-Verdun electoral district on Monday. Trudeau said the Liberal party needs to make sure voters “understand what’s at stake in this upcoming election.”
Turnout in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun was relatively high for a by-election, with 40 per cent of registered voters turning out to vote, about 10 per cent higher than last year’s Montreal by-election.
Turnout in this election was roughly the same as in a June by-election in Toronto-St. Paul, the other seat the Liberals lost.
Earlier this month, the Liberal campaign chief resigned and the New Democrats tore up the supply and confidence agreement that had given the government leeway in a minority parliament.
The Conservatives have an 18-point lead nationally, according to CBC’s polling tracker. The Liberals’ approval rating has been on a downward trend for the past 18 months.
Trudeau today avoided questions about his future, having said in the past that he would stay on as prime minister no matter what and lead the Liberal party into the next federal election.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller represented a neighboring electorate and campaigned for the unsuccessful Liberal candidate.
“I take it pretty personally. The team really gave it their all,” Miller said.
“The sun will rise tomorrow and set tonight, and we’re going to win next time.”
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said he “takes very personally” the loss of the Liberal candidate in Montreal’s LaSalle-Emard-Verdun electoral district. Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the Liberals need to “redouble their efforts.” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said the ruling Liberal party “needs to do more to address the problem of rising house prices.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, also from Montreal, expressed disappointment, saying “this is not the outcome we were hoping for.”
Asked how the Liberals could turn their fortunes around, Joly said they “need to respond to the priorities of Canadians.”
Joly added that rent and groceries remain too expensive and said the government needs to do more to address the persistent problem of high house prices.
“It’s going to be a tough conversation,” she said.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the Liberal party should not lose hope or become complacent after its second by-election defeat.
“Now is not the time to be depressed, it is time to redouble our efforts. We need to bring our energies together, talk about possibilities, talk about the future of this country,” he said.
Asked why Trudeau should remain prime minister, Champagne said he would provide a “positive vision” for the next federal election and “inspire Canadians.”
He said voters will be faced with a tough choice between Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Poirierbre.
“I think the real issue in the next election is what kind of society do we want to live in?” Champagne said.
“When people vote, the question they should be asking is not what this vote means for them, but what this vote means for the country.”
While the Conservatives fell short in Winnipeg ridings they could have won, Poirievre boasted that the party’s vote share increased in both by-elections.
The Conservative vote share increased by 16 percentage points in the Elmwood-Transcona riding and a more modest four percentage points in the Montreal riding compared to the 2021 general election, suggesting that Poirievre’s popularity in the polls is translating into some success at the ballot box.
“This is a devastating result for Mr. Trudeau, who voters have decided is not worth the cost,” Poirierbre said in a social media post.
“Nine years in, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is running out.”
