Trudeau’s party fails to win majority in Canada vote

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won a third stint in office on Monday, but his Liberal Party failed in its bid to secure a majority in parliament.

Trudeau called for early snap elections in August, about two years before the next elections were scheduled, in the hopes of securing a majority in parliament. However, The Associated Press reported that Trudeau’s party was only able to secure one more seat than it did in 2019 and was 12 seats short of gaining a majority in the 338-seat House of Commons.

The prime minister acknowledged in remarks on Tuesday that he will need to continue working with opposing lawmakers in order to govern.

“You are sending us back to work with a clear mandate to get Canada through this pandemic,” Trudeau said to supporters on Monday. “I hear you when you say you just want to get back to the things you love and not worry about this pandemic or an election.”

The election was a gamble for Trudeau, who risked losing to Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole. However, the Conservative Party came in second on Monday — winning 119 seats, two less than in 2019 — and O’Toole conceded soon after the results came in.

Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University, told the AP that the election results were likely a “bittersweet victory” for Trudeau.

“Basically we are back to square one, as the new minority parliament will look like the previous one,” Béland said. “Trudeau and the Liberals saved their skin and will stay in power, but many Canadians who didn’t want this late summer, pandemic election are probably not amused about the whole situation.”