Staff Reports
The recent special election in Toronto-St. Paul’s has left Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party licking their wounds, as their candidate Leslie Church, a former chief of staff to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, faced a stunning defeat. The victor? Conservative candidate Don Stewart managed to uproot a seat the Liberals have clung to since 1993. Clearly, the people of Toronto-St. Paul’s sent a big, bold message: Enough is enough.
Fred DeLorey, a former campaign manager for the Conservative Party, didn’t hold back in his assessment, labeling the election as Trudeau’s “last stand.” Well, it looks like the Liberal fortress has more cracks than a Canadian maple sapling in winter.
Election experts like Philippe Fournier and academic types like Alex Marland are now sounding the alarm for the Liberals. Fournier, who helms the election projection site 338Canada, called the night a disaster, likening it to a Hindenburg moment for the Trudeau camp. Marland, a political professor from Acadia University, pointed out that Conservatives have finally pierced “fortress Toronto,” a Liberal stronghold. If the Liberals can’t hold their ground in urban centers, they might as well be heading for political exile.
Justin Trudeau Suffers Shock Defeat, Faces Avalanche of Calls to Resign via @WestJournalism https://t.co/dbc1JKzlUF
— Woke Bytes (@wokebytes) June 25, 2024
Canada’s national elections are just around the corner in the fall of 2025, and the gossip mill is already grinding about whether Trudeau’s time is up. The internal grumbling within Trudeau’s camp is starting to sound like a high school lunchroom. Even Canadian historian Robert Bothwell chimed in, suggesting that Trudeau’s grip on power has significantly weakened, warning that the internal whining over his leadership will likely escalate. Desperation must have driven the Liberals to throw every resource they had into this election, bringing down ministers and rallying support staff from Ottawa. However, the voters were not buying what Trudeau’s team was selling.
Political analysts also emphasize that the souring public opinion is more like curdled milk than a one-off hiccup. Nelson Wiseman from the University of Toronto believes it’s not that Canadians are falling head over heels for Conservatives but that their intense love affair with the Liberals has fizzled out. With calls for Trudeau’s resignation mounting and a petition garnering thousands of signatures, it’s starting to look like a political boxing match where Trudeau’s corner is ready to throw in the towel.
Even Trudeau’s excuses are wearing thin. The man drama queens about high inflation, cost of living, and all sorts of issues while posing for selfies at global summits. Comparable to what, exactly? Hashtag struggles?
Funny how Trudeau tries to skate by with philosophical musings, pretending that being slightly less awful than other countries is an achievement worth touting. Local frustrations don’t get eased by Trudeau rubbing elbows with world leaders. People want tangible solutions, not a PM who grandstands on the international stage while domestic issues hit them where it hurts—right in their wallets.
As the clock ticks down to 2025, the Liberals have much more to worry about than just losing a seat. After this blow, it looks like the winds of change are blowing harder than a Canadian winter storm. Trudeau might just find himself snowed under.
