Stay the course, but work better with others is message sent to Liberals in Ottawa
Following a short election campaign, there was a sense of déjà vu in the country on Tuesday with Justin Trudeau once again leading the country with a minority Liberal government -- as was the case when he was previously elected two years ago.
There were questions raised when the snap election was called back in August as to whether it was the right time, given the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of the fourth wave – now the question for the prime minister is whether his political gamble has paid off.
"From Victoria to St. John's, voters basically said, look, we want you to stay the course," says political scientist and professor at St. Thomas University Jamie Gillies, "we're not going to reward you for helping us through this part of the pandemic – finish the job and we'll check with you back in 18 months or two years."
Gillies says the message from voters is that they did not want a major political change, but that they do want the parties to work together to get through the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. As for whether it was all worth it, he says in his opinion, no.
"They're basically right where they were when they started, and so in that sense in failed," says Gillies, "but they get to renew their mandate, they don't have to worry about another election for potentially four or five years if they can work with the other parties."
Professor of political science at Cape Breton University Tom Urbaniak says this was an election where everyone essentially lost to some extent – he says voters were "annoyed" at having an election at this time, and that these results should be a "humbling message" to all of the party leaders.
"Justin Trudeau is safe for now as Liberal leader," says Urbaniak. "But he needs to take the message, and I think some of his caucus colleagues are going to say it to him straight out, that Canadians expect a humbler, more collaborative authentic approach."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.