Montreal,September 14:
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party are set to face a major challenge in the next by-polls in Montreal, amid poor polling results and mounting calls for him to resign as party leader in anticipation of the next general elections. According to Al Jazeera, This region has traditionally been a bastion for the Liberal Party, but Monday's vote will come as Trudeau's popularity is dwindling owing to rising prices and a worsening housing crisis.
The Liberals, Bloc Quebecois, and the New Democratic Party (NDP) are in a tight contest for the Lasalle-Emard-Verdun electoral district (a riding in Canada).
Many in the political world see the by-election as a "litmus test" that will reveal how the Liberal Party does before the next general election, which is not due until October 2025.
Concordia University political science professor Rick Bisaillon said, "It's absolutely indispensable for the Liberals to hang onto this seat."
To make matters worse for Trudeau, the New Democratic Party has decided to pull out of an arrangement that was meant to enable his minority government stay afloat in 2022.
In his statement after the NDP's departure from the Liberals, Jagmeet Singh criticized Trudeau, saying, "Justin Trudeau has proven again and again he will always cave to corporate greed." Liberals, you have disappointed the people. They are unworthy of any additional opportunity.
Liberal Party internal strife is adding insult to injury for the already struggling numbders. According to Al Jazeera, several Liberal members of parliament and staff have voiced their dissatisfaction with Trudeau's leadership.
A Liberal member of parliament openly called on Trudeau to resign in June after his party lost the Toronto by-election. Not everyone is on board with helping out the Montreal campaign; some are angry with the government's foreign policy.
A Verdun citizen named Benoit Frenette voiced his displeasure with the current administration, stating, "Right now, there's a lot of dissatisfaction with Mr. Trudeau’s government, and that’s probably going to be felt."
"I'm more of a nationalist at heart, so in that context, the Bloc Quebecois is an option I'm considering," said the politician.
A political science professor at UBC, Stewart Prest, cautioned that a loss for the Liberals may signal a sea change.
According to Prest, "If they are unable to hold onto this riding... it gives fresh ammunition to those who are saying it's time for a significant change in the Liberal Party."
The Liberal and NDP candidates in Lasalle-Emard-Verdun were significantly behind the Bloc Quebecois candidate, according to a poll conducted on Thursday. The Conservatives were far behind as well.
The Liberals are in second place with 24.1% of the vote, behind Bloc Quebecois's 29.6%. Al Jazeera states that the Conservatives are considerably behind at 7.3%, while the NDP is slightly behind at 23%.
Specifically, Prime Minister Trudeau has been adamant about being leader until the next election. He posted on Wednesday, "Ready for Parliament's return next week," to social media.
A setback for the Liberals on Monday, according to Prest of the University of British Columbia, may be a "turning point" for the party.
"Are they willing to continue to fight under this leader, or would you start to see stronger calls from within the party for a change in leadership?" said he. "It will be fascinating to watch -- if the Liberals fail to keep the seat -- if indeed the MPs are essentially jolted into action or if they continue to turn their attention elsewhere and the Liberals continue to seemingly coast towards the inevitable defeat" at the following election.
