After another Liberal loss, Trudeau says there are 'all sorts of reflections' to do
"Obviously, it would have been nicer to be able to win and hold Verdun, but there's more work to do, and we're going to stay focused on doing it," Trudeau said in Ottawa Tuesday morning.
Kkritika Suri
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will remain focused on governing after experiencing his second byelection loss in recent months.
"Obviously, it would have been nicer to win and hold Verdun, but there's more work to do, and we're going to stay focused on doing it," Trudeau said Tuesday morning in Ottawa.
Despite signaling earlier that he intended to stay on as leader regardless of the outcome, Trudeau acknowledged that the Liberals will need to reflect on what went wrong.
"The important thing is to make sure Canadians understand that the decision they make in the next election about the kind of country we are really matters, and that's the work we’ll continue doing," he added. He also congratulated all the candidates who participated, as well as the volunteers, noting that political engagement is crucial, especially during challenging times.
The night was more favorable for the parties holding the balance of power in Parliament. The Bloc Québécois secured the LaSalle-Émard-Verdun seat in Montreal, a traditional Liberal stronghold, while NDP leader Jagmeet Singh narrowly held onto the party's stronghold of Elmwood Transcona, Manitoba. This blocked Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre's chance of gaining a seat in either race.
Following the surprise loss of the safe Liberal seat of Toronto-St. Paul’s to the Conservatives in June, calls for Trudeau’s resignation increased. Some members of his caucus are also concerned about their electoral future after the Quebec defeat, which quickly became a topic of discussion on Parliament Hill.
How the Bloc and NDP victories influence their willingness to continue supporting the Liberals in the minority government, or whether they will push for an early election, remains to be seen.
Trudeau met with his cabinet in Ottawa, where ministers were asked about the election outcome and whether they still had confidence in his leadership. Immigration Minister Marc Miller, whose Montreal riding borders LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, said he took the loss “quite personally,” but expressed respect for the result and vowed to work towards winning the seat back.
Other ministers also shared their thoughts. Government House Leader Karina Gould described the result as “a tough loss,” while Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne called on the Liberals to “listen and be humble” and to work harder to prove they are the best option for Quebecers. Despite the setback, he expressed confidence that his own riding would remain safe in the next election.
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said that while the loss requires serious reflection, he did not see it as a condemnation of the Liberals and noted that byelections don’t threaten the government’s power. He emphasized the importance of voters reflecting on alternatives in the next federal election.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, speaking to reporters, expressed pride in his party’s win, calling it significant and an opportunity to engage with Montreal’s English-speaking community. He also noted that the Bloc is ready for an election whenever it becomes clear that the Liberals are not serving Quebec’s interests.
The end of the Liberal-NDP supply-and-confidence agreement means that the Liberals will likely rely more on Bloc MPs’ votes to avoid a snap election.
The southwest Montreal riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun saw vote counting continue into the early morning due to the length of the ballots. The "Longest Ballot Committee" had orchestrated a campaign involving over 70 independent candidates to highlight Trudeau’s unfulfilled promise of electoral reform. Ultimately, the Bloc’s Louis-Philippe Sauvé won with 28% of the vote, while Liberal candidate Laura Palestini finished closely behind with 27.2%, and NDP candidate Craig Sauvé came third with 26.1%. The Conservative and Green candidates trailed far behind.
This byelection was triggered by the resignation of former Liberal minister David Lametti in January, following a cabinet shuffle. In previous federal elections, the Liberals held the riding with about 44% and 43% of the vote in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, whose riding is in the Montreal area, acknowledged that the results were not what the Liberals had hoped for, but emphasized the need to focus on delivering for Canadians.
Throughout the tight three-way race, party leaders and key political figures campaigned actively in the riding. Notably, the Liberal campaign signs did not feature Trudeau’s image, which the party said was consistent with previous Quebec byelections. On the other hand, Singh and his NDP caucus actively canvassed in the riding in a bid to reclaim a seat they held during the 2011 “Orange Wave,” though they ultimately fell short by about 600 votes.
