Justin Trudeau’s Liberals win minority government in 2021 federal election

OTTAWA (CityNews) ─ A buoyant, optimistic Justin Trudeau was met with applause at the Liberal headquarters in Montreal as he thanked Canadians for re-electing him – despite coming out of a 36-day federal election campaign with a nearly identical number of seats.

The gamble to turn a minority government into a majority backfired for Trudeau, but the Liberal leader secured enough votes during Canada’s pandemic election to earn his third term as prime minister.

The Liberals won a minority government, falling short of the 170 seats needed in the 338-seat House of Commons to have a majority. Trudeau will need the support of at least one other party to maintain that minority government.

“When I became prime minister six years ago, I couldn’t know what the future held,” Trudeau told his supporters during his victory speech. “We didn’t know that we’d be facing a once-in-a-century pandemic or a worldwide economic crisis. But what I did know is that together Canadians can overcome any obstacle, and that is exactly what we will continue to do.

“My friends, I am ready to carry on with the work. My team is ready.”

At dissolution, the Liberals had 155 seats, the Conservatives 119, the Bloc Quebecois 32, the NDP 24 and the Greens two. There were also five independents and one vacancy.

By the early hours of Saturday, the Liberals led in 156 ridings, the Conservatives in 121, the Bloc Quebecois in 31, the NDP in 27 and the Greens in two. Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives led the Liberals in the popular vote by nearly three per cent.

That means an election campaign that cost an estimated $600 million resulted in but a slight change in Canada’s seat count. There is still a chance Canadians return to the polls in 2023.

“I have heard you,” Trudeau told the small crowd. “I know you don’t want to hear any more talk of elections and politics. You want us to concentrate on the work that is necessary for you. You just want to know that your members of Parliament will have your back through this crisis and beyond.

“The moment we face demands real, important change. You have given this Parliament and this government clear direction.”

READ MORE:

• Erin O’Toole pleads to lead Conservatives in wake of another election defeat

• NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh reelected in Burnaby-South

• Green Leader Annamie Paul loses bid to become MP for Toronto

Trudeau’s night began with a weaker performance compared to the 2019 election. The Liberals were down three seats in Atlantic Canada.

But results from Quebec and Ontario were enough to give Trudeau’s Liberals a win in the 2021 federal election. The party’s share of the vote in Canada’s most populous provinces was well ahead of what polls heading into the election had forecast.

“To my fellow Canadians, there is no greater honour than serving you and serving this country,” said Trudeau. “If you voted for our party, thank you for putting your trust in our team to keep moving forward for everyone. If you did not vote for us, we want you to know that we will stand up for you and work for you every single day.”

Trudeau wins seat in Papineau

Trudeau was re-elected in Papineau, Que., the riding he has represented in the House of Commons since 2008.

He cast his ballot in Papineau Monday morning with his three children at his side. His wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, who already voted, waited by the entrance of the polling station.

Trudeau’s youngest son, Hadrien, 7, held his father’s hand and accompanied him to the voting booth before the two pushed the ballot into the box together.

“Over the past 12 years as MP for Papineau, I had the chance to meet so many people of all walks of life. It’s an honour for me to represent you. It’s with you that my adventure began, so thank you for your trust in me and I will continue to be there for you.”

Other notable Liberal victories

Chrystia Freeland won re-election in her downtown Toronto riding of University-Rosedale. The deputy prime minister and finance minister will now have a chance to keep building a national child-care system announced in her April budget.

She is among a slew of cabinet ministers who won re-election: Jean-Yves Duclos in the riding of Quebec, Melanie Joly in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Que., David Lametti in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, Que., and Harjit Sajjan in Vancouver South, B.C.

Anthony Rota won his northern Ontario riding of Nipissing-Timiskaming. Since 2019, Rota has served as Speaker of the House of Commons, taking over the job just ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Election results slow to come in, long lineups

Results were slow to trickle in as polls closed across the country.

Part of that was due to a larger number of mail-in ballots. Elections Canada said nearly 6.8 million people voted early, most of them at advance polls more than a week ago, and the rest through special ballots cast by mail or at Elections Canada offices.

There are almost 800,000 mail-in ballots to be counted, starting Tuesday, which could yet change the preliminary results in many of the tightly contested seats.

There were also several reports of long lineups at polling stations. Fewer polling stations were open overall since many schools were not used as voting locations due to the pandemic.

READ MORE: Elections Canada reports disruptions at some polling stations

When Trudeau called the election on Aug. 15 − two years after the Liberals were reduced to a minority − he asked Canadians to decide who was best suited to finish the fight against COVID-19 and lead the country’s recovery.

But mixed results in polls over the 36-day campaign quickly showed the Liberals’ hope of turning a minority government into a majority was not a fait accompli.

Opposition leaders relentlessly pounded away at Trudeau’s “selfish” choice to put his quest for a majority ahead of the interests of Canadians in the middle of a deadly pandemic.

With Afghanistan falling to the Taliban the very day Trudeau called the election − leaving thousands of Canadians and Afghans who had helped Canada’s military mission stranded in the country − only exacerbated anger over his timing.

Battling the Conservatives for votes

As Liberal support slumped, O’Toole’s Conservatives picked up some momentum. Trudeau attempted to drive a wedge over issues like abortion, private health care and mandatory vaccinations for federal workers.

The Liberal platform logged new spending at $78 billion over the next five years with no plan to balance the budget.

One of the new promises was to establish regulations under the Canadian Health Act to govern the accessibility for sexual and reproductive health, such as abortion.

The platform also included a plan for a ban on assault weapons, making a gun buyback program mandatory, and $1 billion will be given to provinces to help ban handguns in their jurisdictions.

The Liberal plan also included $10-a-day childcare and sick leave.

When it comes to the ongoing battle against COVID-19, Trudeau said his party supports proof-of-vaccination credentials and mandatory vaccines for people travelling on planes and trains.

The victory puts Trudeau back in a position he has held since the 2015 federal election, which saw the Liberals win a 184-seat majority.

But Trudeau had been in the spotlight in Canada long before 2015.

The eldest son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, one of Canada’s most famous prime ministers, the young Trudeau first showed no interest in politics. He worked as a teacher in Vancouver following his graduation from Montreal’s McGill University.

Trudeau was then thrust into the public eye at his father’s funeral in 2000, where he delivered an emotional eulogy. His star rose from there.

The former drama teacher first won his seat in Papineau in 2008 to be elected a member of Parliament. Five years later, the Liberals chose him as party leader. In 2015, he became Canada’s prime minister by handily defeating then Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

And whether it was fighting Harper’s government in the House prior to that, or fighting Sen. Patrick Brazeau in a charity boxing match, Trudeau has been a magnet for attention.

His remarks on why his first cabinet was gender-balanced went viral worldwide.

“Because it’s 2015,” was the response that travelled around the world − the first of many viral moments. Others, like a trip to India in 2018 that saw a slew of wardrobe changes, was shared for less flattering reasons.

That’s because the 2015 shine − in the eyes of Canadians − may have come off Trudeau.

The now 49-year-old has battled a string of scandals over his six years as prime minister: Aga Khan, SNC-Lavalin, Blackface, and We Charity.

But none have seemingly dented his popularity among Liberal supporters.

─With files from The Canadian Press.