Liberal winners, losers gather in Ottawa after disappointing election result
Posted November 7, 2019 3:27 pm.
OTTAWA — Re-elected, newly elected and defeated Liberal MPs are gathering on Parliament Hill to mull over the disappointing results of the Oct. 21 election and the way forward in the new world of a minority Parliament.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it’s a day of celebrating wins and also mourning losses as the Liberals seek to chart a new course.
Former Liberal cabinet minister Ralph Goodale, who went down to defeat in his Saskatchewan riding after more than 25 years as an MP, says a majority of Canadians voted both for completing the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline as well as for tougher action on climate change.
Goodale says he’s convinced those two things are not mutually exclusive, and that it’s up to the Liberal government to make that case to Canadians.
The Liberals won 157 seats — 13 shy of a majority in the House of Commons — and were shut out entirely in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where Trudeau’s name is now political poison.
Returning Liberal MPs do expect Trudeau to make some changes, including paying more attention to the views of caucus, diversifying his inner circle, adopting more positive messaging and communicating Liberal successes on the economic front.
The Canadian Press
