Trudeau's party wins Canada vote but fails to get majority

Toronto: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party secured victory in parliamentary elections but failed to get the majority he wanted in a vote that focused on the Coronavirus pandemic but that many Canadians saw as unnecessary.

Trudeau entered Monday's election leading a stable minority government that wasn't under threat of being toppled but he was hoping Canadians would reward him with a majority for navigating the pandemic better than many other leaders. Still, Trudeau struggled to justify why he called the election early given the virus, and the opposition was relentless in accusing him of holding the vote two years before the deadline for his own personal ambition. In the end, the gamble did not pay off, and the results nearly mirrored those of two years ago.

The Liberal Party was leading or elected in 158 seats, one more than they won in 2019, and 12 short of the 170 needed for a majority in the House of Commons.

The Conservatives were leading or elected in 119 seats, two less than they won in 2019. The leftist New Democrats were leading or elected in 25, while the Bloc Qu b cois were leading or elected in 34 and the Greens were down to two.

You are sending us back to work with a clear mandate to get Canada through this pandemic, Trudeau said. 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."

Hours after the results came in, Trudeau greeted commuters and posed for pictures at a subway stop in his district in Montreal on Tuesday morning a post-election tradition for the prime minister. But experts noted that it was not the victory Trudeau had hoped for.

Trudeau lost his gamble to get a majority so I would say this is a bittersweet victory for him, said Daniel B land, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. Basically we are back to square one, as the new minority parliament will look like the previous one. 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, he said.