Canada’s Liberal party, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, narrowly won the election and is set to keep enough seats to form a government. The party is expected to take 157 seats, with the Conservative party, led by Mr. Andrew Scheer, set to take 121 – an improvement since the 2015 elections but less than expected. The big victor of the night was the Bloc Quebecois, the nationalist party born out of Quebec’s sovereignty movement in the 1990s, securing 32 seats in the House and becoming the third largest party. Prime Minister Trudeau will not form a formal coalition with any of the smaller parties in Canada, but will instead rely on their support on a vote by vote basis.
The election campaign was regarded as one of the ugliest and most bitter in years, with Prime Minister Trudeau criticized for alleged corruption and wearing blackface and brownface years ago. The scandals challenged his authenticity as an earnest bearer for liberalism. These issues took a toll, with the Liberals’ share of the popular vote falling approximately 7% since the 2015 elections. Nonetheless, Prime Minister Trudeau secured a victory, with Canadians continuing to support him for the progress he’s made throughout his previous term, and his proposed policy agenda for the future.
