It’s a result that will send shockwaves through the political world
The race in a hotly contested Toronto byelection turned a normally safe red seat into a fierce battleground, causing consternation among Liberals that a seat the party had won by 24-point margin in the 2021 federal election was even close.
“This was a workday Monday in a riding that is a Toronto traffic nightmare. This shows a strong desire among voters to send a signal for change,” said Bricker.
And the Liberals threw everything they had at the usually safe seat, with cabinet ministers making regular visits to the riding to knock on doors and rally volunteers. The Conservatives also piled resources into Stewart’s campaign but in the week before the vote they tried to lower expectations, insisting they weren’t going to win. In the end, a final chunk of ballots counted around 4:30 a.m. ET put the Conservative ahead in the final count.
The NDP came in third with 11 per cent of the vote.
An unusually large ballot, with 84 names — most garnering just a few votes each — slowed down the counting, dragging results hours past the closing of the polls.
Bennett won the riding with a 24-point margin in 2021 and an over 30 point margin in 2019. Even when the Liberals were reduced to just 34 seats in 2011, they comfortably won St. Paul’s with an eight-point lead
Hoping to replace Bennett was Church, who previously served as Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s chief of staff, but a strong challenge from the Conservatives’ Stewart sealed the victory. The NDP put forward Amrit Parhar, the Greens ran Christian Cullis, and the People’s Party was represented by Dennis Wilson.
Recent polls have put the Conservatives 20 points ahead across the country and with significant leads in Ontario, but the Liberals were expected to hold onto the riding.
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