Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party retained power in a closely contested Canadian general election, though only as a weakened minority government.
Television projections showed the Liberals winning or leading in 157 of 338 seats, while Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives trailed with 121 seats. Voting concluded across Canada’s six time zones after a highly charged 40-day campaign, described by many observers as one of the nastiest in recent history.
The Bloc Québécois staged a comeback from its 2015 collapse, capturing 32 seats by appealing to Quebec nationalism. The New Democratic Party (NDP) secured 25 seats, with leader Jagmeet Singh, Canada’s first non-white federal party leader, expected to play a pivotal role as a kingmaker in the minority parliament.
At 47, Trudeau, a former schoolteacher, remains a dominant figure in Canadian politics but faces challenges navigating a fragile mandate.
