OTTAWA, Sept 16 (Askume) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s ruling Liberals, trailing badly in opinion polls, face a battle on Monday to retain safe seats without victory in a special election that could increase the need for a new leader.
Following his resignation, the Montreal constituency of La Salle—Emaar—Verdun was called to hold an election to replace the Liberal MLA.
Normally, Trudeau’s party would probably win easily, but polls show the race is tight. If the Liberals lose, all attention will turn to Trudeau, who has become increasingly unpopular after nearly nine years in power.
In an unusual move, some Liberal MLAs are breaking away from their camp to demand a change at the top. Liberal MP Alexandra Mendez, who represents a Quebec riding, said many of her constituents want Trudeau to step down.
“I heard it not from two or three people, but from dozens of people,” he told public broadcaster Radio-Canada last week. “He’s not really a leader anymore.”
Trudeau insisted he would lead the party through the election, which must be held by the end of October 2025.
“Canadians are having a hard time right now because of the high cost of living. They’re very frustrated,” he said last Wednesday when asked about the vote and his future.
Questions about Trudeau’s future intensified in June when the party lost a safe seat in a special election in Toronto.
Opinion polls show the Liberals will suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of Pierre Pliyev’s right-wing Conservatives in the next federal election. A Léger poll last week showed the Conservatives had 45 per cent public support, a rare level of broad support in Canada, while the Liberals were second at 25 per cent.
In the 2021 election, the Liberals won LaSalle—Emaar—Verdun with 43% of the vote, ahead of the separatist Bloc Québécois (22%) and the New Democrats (19%). Current polls show that the three political parties’ support rates are evenly matched in the constituency.
Polls will close at 9 pm (0100 GMT). Preliminary results are usually released within 90 minutes, but about 80 activists also attended the vote, angry that Trudeau broke a 2015 promise to reform Canada’s voting system. This means that the vote count could take several hours longer than usual.
Trudeau’s approval ratings have fallen as voters grapple with the rising cost of living and a housing crisis exacerbated by an influx of temporary residents such as foreign students and workers.
Pliyev has promised to end the federal carbon tax, which he says makes life unaffordable, and last week vowed to limit immigration restrictions until more homes are built. Liberals acknowledged the poll results look disappointing, but said they would redouble their efforts to portray Pliyev as a supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement as the election nears.
Poliyev, a fast-talking career politician who often insults his opponents, also said he would stop funding the CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster. In April, he was kicked out of the House of Commons for calling Trudeau “crazy.”
