Trudeau Liberals face ruin in upcoming byelections

What’s in a byelection? These days, a lot. The Liberals’ loss in the supposedly safe seat of Toronto—St. Paul’s in June sent shock waves through the party. The riding had been Liberal red for decades, most recently under cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett who held it for 27 years with an average margin of 30 per cent. This time, Conservative candidate Don Stewart eked out a win by 633 votes, or 1.71 per cent, prompting intense speculation on the future of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and some of his key players, including Deputy leader Chrystia Freeland.

Now the Liberals are gearing up for another pair of byelections, in the Quebec riding of LaSalle—Emard—Verdun and the Manitoba riding of Elmwood—Transcona, both to be held Sept. 16. The first contest appears to be a three-way split between the Liberals, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP, while the second pits the NDP against the Tories. The results could thus be pivotal not only for the Liberals, but for the opposition parties as well.

Read the full story here in The National Post.