Justin Trudeau Wins Third Term as Canada’s Prime Minister
Written by SOURCE on September 21, 2021
Justin Trudeau is poised to remain as Canada’s prime minister, winning his third consecutive election, according to CTV News and CBC News.
Both networks are projecting the in-power Liberals will win a plurality of seats, though it appears they will lead another minority government—just as they had when the campaign began.
While the Liberals will remain in power, they will have to continue to work with other parties in order to govern their second minority government. It’s not quite the four years of dominance and easily-passed legislation a majority win would have promised.
In a gamble for a majority, Trudeau called a snap election in mid-August, telling Canadians he wanted them to have a say over “how we finish the fight against COVID-19 and build back better.”
It wasn’t an easy fight, as he faced a daunting challenge from the Conservatives, led by Erin O’Toole, who the Liberals were deadlocked with in polls leading up to the election. Trudeau had trouble convincing much of the electorate that the election was even necessary amid the fourth wave of the pandemic.
The full results of the campaign aren’t expected to be revealed on Monday. Elections Canada will only begin counting 800,000 mail-in ballots on Tuesday, once it is able to verify them against in-person votes.
Trudeau, 49, won his first Canadian election in 2015, channeling the star power of his father, the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The Liberals have been leading as a minority government since winning 157 seats in the last federal election in 2019.
More to come.
