Blow for Canada’s Trudeau after Liberals lose long-held seat in Montreal

Opinion polls suggest the Liberals are on track to lose the next election to the Conservatives, the current official opposition in Canada’s parliament.

The prime minister has faced calls to resign as party leader, including from within his own party.

But he has insisted he plans to stay on and lead the party into the next election, which is scheduled for October 2025.

The Montreal by-election was held after the January resignation of former Liberal minister David Lametti, who had held the seat since 2015.

In June, Trudeau’s Liberals lost a Toronto federal seat that it had held for 30 years to the opposition Conservative Party – a major sign of trouble for the party, which has been in power since 2015.

The election could also be triggered sooner, after the NDP early this month pulled out of an agreement with the minority Liberals that helped keep them in power.

Also on Monday, the progressive NDP managed to narrowly hold onto a seat in a by-election in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The by-election in the riding – or constituency – of Elmwood-Transcona in Winnipeg was held after the resignation of long-time NDP member of parliament Daniel Blaikie in March.