Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party Wins Canada’s General Election But Loses Majority

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won his re-election bid late Monday, although his Liberal Party failed to retain a majority in Parliament.

As of 3:25 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Canada’s Liberals had won 157 of 338 seats — a loss of 20 seats — with around 99.7% of votes counted to win the minority. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party gained 26 seats for a total of 121. More than 300 Parliamentary seats were up for the taking. Voter turnout decreased relative to the 2015 election, from 68% to 62%.

“From coast to coast to coast, tonight Canadians rejected division and negativity. They rejected cuts and austerity. They voted in favor of a progressive agenda and strong action on climate change,” Trudeau, 47, told supporters in Montreal after his victory. “We will make life more affordable, we will continue to fight climate change, we will get guns off our streets.”

Trudeau and Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer — a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen — were the top two candidates in Canada’s election. Jagmeet Singh of the New Democratic Party and Yves-Francois Blanchet of the Bloc Quebecois were among the other contenders.

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Trudeau’s campaign for a second term was marred by dozens of controversies over his policies and past behavior. Most notably, the prime minister was forced to apologize after several photos surfaced of him in brown-face from his days as a school teacher in 2001, as well as a video of him in black-face from the early 1990s. Trudeau has also been criticized for his decision to green-light the construction of the Rocky Mountain oil pipeline, which has displaced indigenous communities, and for violating Canada’s ethics laws.

Article by Pablo Mena

Writer for uPolitics.com. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.