Trudeau’s party wins Canada vote but fails to get majority

By ROB GILLIES

TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party secured triumph successful parliamentary elections but failed to get the bulk helium wanted successful a ballot that focused connected the coronavirus pandemic but that galore Canadians saw arsenic unnecessary.

Trudeau entered Monday’s predetermination starring a unchangeable number authorities that wasn’t nether menace of being toppled — but helium was hoping Canadians would reward him with a bulk for navigating the pandemic amended than galore different leaders. Still, Trudeau struggled to warrant wherefore helium called the predetermination aboriginal fixed the virus, and the absorption was relentless successful accusing him of holding the ballot 2 years earlier the deadline for his ain idiosyncratic ambition.

In the end, the gamble did not wage off, and the results astir mirrored those of 2 years ago. The Liberal Party was starring oregon elected successful 158 seats — 1 much than they won 2019, and 12 abbreviated of the 170 needed for a bulk successful the House of Commons.

The Conservatives were starring oregon elected successful 119 seats, 2 little than they won successful 2019. The leftist New Democrats were starring oregon elected successful 25, portion the Bloc Québécois were starring oregon elected successful 34 and the Greens were down to two.

“You are sending america backmost to enactment with a wide mandate to get Canada done this pandemic,” Trudeau said. “I perceive you erstwhile you accidental you conscionable privation to get backmost to the things you emotion and not interest astir this pandemic oregon an election.”

Hours aft the results came in, Trudeau greeted commuters and posed for pictures astatine a subway halt successful his territory successful Montreal connected Tuesday greeting — a post-election contented for the premier minister.

But experts noted that it was not the triumph Trudeau had hoped for.

“Trudeau mislaid his gamble to get a bulk truthful I would accidental this is simply a bittersweet triumph for him,” said Daniel Béland, a governmental subject prof astatine McGill University successful Montreal.

“Basically we are backmost to quadrate one, arsenic the caller number parliament volition look similar the erstwhile one. Trudeau and the Liberals saved their tegument and volition enactment successful power, but galore Canadians who didn’t privation this precocious summer, pandemic predetermination are astir apt not amused astir the full situation,” helium said.

Trudeau stake Canadians didn’t privation a Conservative authorities during a pandemic, playing up his ain party’s successes. Canada has 1 of the highest vaccination rates successful the world, and Trudeau’s authorities spent hundreds of billions of dollars to prop up the system amid lockdowns. Trudeau argued that the Conservatives’ approach, which has been skeptical of lockdowns and vaccine mandates, would beryllium dangerous.

Trudeau supports making vaccines mandatory for Canadians to question by aerial oregon rail, thing the Conservatives oppose.

And helium has pointed retired that Alberta, tally by a Conservative provincial government, is successful crisis. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the state mightiness tally retired of beds and unit for intensive attraction units wrong days. Kenney apologized for the dire concern and is present reluctantly introducing a vaccine passport and imposing a mandatory work-from-home bid 2 months aft lifting astir each restrictions.

Conservative person Erin O’Toole, meanwhile, didn’t necessitate his party’s candidates to beryllium vaccinated and would not accidental however galore were not. O’Toole described vaccination arsenic a idiosyncratic wellness decision, but a increasing fig of vaccinated Canadians are progressively upset with those who garbage to get the shot.

“The statement connected vaccination and Trudeau taking connected the anti-vaccination assemblage helped the Liberals to salvage a run that didn’t commencement good for the party,” Béland said.

Nelson Wiseman, a governmental subject prof astatine the University of Toronto, said the Conservatives were wounded by the concern successful Alberta.

“The detonation of the pandemic successful Alberta successful the past 10 days undermined O’Toole’s compliments of the Alberta Conservatives connected however they had handled the pandemic and reinforced Trudeau’s statement for mandatory vaccinations,” helium said.

The 49-year-old Trudeau channeled the prima powerfulness of his father, the Liberal icon and precocious Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, erstwhile helium archetypal won predetermination successful 2015 and has led his enactment to the apical decorativeness successful 2 elections since.

A Conservative triumph would person represented a rebuke of Trudeau by a person with a fraction of his sanction recognition. O’Toole, 47, is simply a subject veteran, erstwhile lawyer and a subordinate of Parliament for 9 years.

“Canadians did not springiness Mr. Trudeau the bulk mandate helium wanted,” O’Toole said. Conservative run co-chair Walied Soliman earlier said holding Trudeau to a number authorities would beryllium a win.

O’Toole said helium was much determined than ever to proceed but his enactment mightiness dump him arsenic it did the erstwhile person who failed to bushed Trudeau successful 2019.

O’Toole advertised himself a twelvemonth agone arsenic a “true-blue Conservative.” He became Conservative Party person with a pledge to “take backmost Canada,” but instantly started moving to propulsion the enactment toward the governmental center.

O’Toole’s strategy, which included disavowing positions held beloved by his party’s basal connected issues specified arsenic clime change, guns and balanced budgets, was designed to entreaty to a broader transverse conception of voters successful a state that tends to beryllium acold much wide than its confederate neighbor.

Whether mean Canadians believed O’Toole is the progressive blimpish helium claims to beryllium and whether helium alienated accepted Conservatives became cardinal questions of the campaign.

Regina Adshade, a 28-year-old Vancouver bundle developer, said she was bothered that an predetermination was called early, during a pandemic and with wildfires burning successful British Columbia. But it didn’t halt her from voting Liberal due to the fact that the enactment represents her values.

“I don’t emotion determination was an predetermination close now, but it wasn’t going to alteration my vote,” she said.

Trudeau’s bequest includes embracing migration astatine a clip erstwhile the U.S. and different countries closed their doors. He besides legalized cannabis nationwide and brought successful a c taxation to combat clime change. And helium preserved escaped commercialized woody with the U.S. and Mexico amid threats by erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump to scrap the agreement.

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Associated Press writer Jim Morris successful Vancouver, British Columbia, contributed to this report.