Trudeau returns to Parliament after loss of second Liberal stronghold

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will face his cabinet today after losing yet another long-held Liberal seat.

Trudeau’s Liberals were hopeful they could retain the Montreal riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, but those hopes were dashed after the Bloc Québécois won it in an extremely tight three-way race with the NDP.

The Montreal race was widely viewed on Parliament Hill as a referendum on the prime minister’s leadership, after the loss of a Toronto Liberal stronghold in June laid bare just how low the party had fallen in the polls.

Voters in Winnipeg also cast byelection ballots in the riding of Elmwood—Transcona Monday, where the NDP managed to hold on to their seat against an aggressive campaign by the Conservatives.

New Democrats recently pulled out of their political pact with the government in a bid to distance themselves from the Liberals, making the prospects of a snap election far more likely. 

Trudeau attempted to calm his caucus at their fall retreat in Nanaimo, B.C, last week, but it’s unclear if his calls for unity will be heard with the latest loss still reverberating through Ottawa.