Trudeau In Trouble After Conservative Upset In Toronto “Must-Win” Special Election

Two years ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared war on conservatives – invoking the Emergencies Act to punish protesting truckers in a move that was ruled flatly unconstitutional in January.

Now, his political future is on the line after the ruling liberal party lost a key ‘safe seat’ in the Toronto-St. Paul’s special election.

In an upset victory, Conservative candidate Don Stewart beat Liberal Leslie Church by a slim, but hugely significant 590 votes, dislodging a seat that the governing Liberals have held for more than 30 years.

In response to the win, Conservative leader Pierre Poilivere demanded Trudeau call a snap election following what he called a “shocking upset” on social media Tuesday morning.

“Here is the verdict: Trudeau can’t go on like this. He must call a carbon tax election now,” he posted on X.

Congratulations to Common Sense Conservative candidate, @donstewartTO, on a shocking upset in Toronto-St. Paul’s, where people voted to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime.

Here is the verdict: Trudeau can’t go on like this. He must call a carbon tax… pic.twitter.com/72n6c2h9jC

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) June 25, 2024

Stewart’s upset victory came in the dead of night, with the results flipping just before 4 a.m. when Tories jumped into the lead with just three polls remaining in the count, the Toronto Sun reports.

The results represent a massive victory for party Leader Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives, who haven’t won a single seat in Toronto proper since 2011.

The race was considered a must-win for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the loss is a massive blow that could trigger calls for him to step down after 11 years as Liberal leader.

The crushing defeat for the Liberals is a kick to a party that is already down in the polls.

As the Sun notes further, if these results pan out country-wide, it could change the dynamics of the next election, according to Ginny Roth, a Conservative strategist who served as Poilievre’s director of communications during his leadership race.

“It’s a really buoyant, exciting prospect for Conservatives who, I think, now can point to a very broad coalition of support,” she said.