Byelection could intensify calls for Trudeau to quit

This is hugely damaging to Justin Trudeau. He's been trailing badly in the polls for well over a year now. The Liberals threw a lot in the Saint Paul. Sometimes we spend way too much time fixating on on one single by-election, but I think in this case it is warranted. The last time the riding of Toronto St. Paul's elected a Conservative, Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister. Monday night. Don Stewart won the by-election for the Conservatives. Giving the riding its first Tory MP in 31 years, political observers say this could propel murmurs of dissent within the Liberal Party out into the open. So I think the calls for Trudeau to step down are going to get louder. I think they're going to go from anonymous sources to. You know on the record sources that it is is time for him to to leave. Analysts don't usually read too much into by elections, but this swing is significant. In 2021, Liberals won the seat by nearly 13,000 votes. Monday night, they lost by just under 600 votes. But polls show even a new party leader might not help the Libs. Angus Reid pulled people on 12 possible new Liberal leaders. None of them made people more likely to vote red. Political scientist Dwayne Brat says Justin Trudeau may be an act nobody wants to follow. This could be a situation where does anyone want this? You know, if I was a prominent Liberal, I don't want to be the next Liberal leader. I want to be the next, next Liberal leader. I think what this changes is the prime minister's and his staff's ability to tell MPs and others look what the polls are saying isn't true. Because here's a perfect example of of those polls playing out. And voters in a riding that that we wouldn't have ever expected would go anything but Liberal went to the Conservatives from the West Coast. Justin Trudeau congratulated Stuart on the win and saying he got the message loud and clear. I hear people's concerns and frustrations. These are not easy times and it's clear that I and my entire Liberal team have much more work to do to deliver tangible, real progress that Canadians across the country can see and feel. City News reached out to the Conservative Party for an interview with MP elect Don Stewart, but did not hear back in time for broadcast in Ottawa Lee City News.