Justin Trudeau's Third Term Begins After Winning Canada Election But Falls Short in Bid To Form Majority Government

After his Liberal Party won a third straight term to form a government in Monday's national election, Justin Trudeau was re-elected as Prime Minister of Canada.

But, unlike when he became Canada's 23rd prime minister in 2015, Trudeau will lead a minority government, as he has done since the previous federal election in 2019. The Liberals won 158 of the 338 federal ridings on Monday night, falling short of the 170 seats required for a majority government.

When Trudeau called the national vote on August 15, he claimed he wanted a clear mandate to lead Canada through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Liberals will have to collaborate with other progressive parties in the House of Commons to pass legislation during the next two years, Big News Network reported.

Trudeau fails to get the majority

The New Democratic Party, which appears to have gained two seats in addition to the 24 it won in 2019, was a majority government with the Liberals in the previous parliament.

The Bloc Quebecois, a nationalist party that advocates sovereignty in Quebec's French-speaking province and which was on track to win 31 seats on Monday, would remain firm that any partnership with the ruling Liberals must take Quebecers' interests into account.

Per NDTV, four senior Liberals said there was no evidence of a planned effort to depose Trudeau, who has exerted tight control over a party that has been plagued by infighting in the past. However, falling short of his objective in his third election placed immediate doubt on his leadership's future and may prompt him to resign on his own.

For more than a century, no prime leader has won four elections in a row. In 1979, Trudeau's father attempted but failed. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, both heavyweight cabinet members, are potential successors.

Trudeau, a charismatic progressive and the son of previous Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was elected Prime Minister of Canada in 2015. However, after six years in government, people had become tired of the Liberal leader.

Three well-placed sources say Justin Trudeau called a quick vote after opposition MPs rejected his budget and other legislation during a tense June session. Others said Trudeau and his inner circle were unaware that the individuals they'd need to manage the campaign were weary from battling COVID-19 for 15 months.

A second Liberal stated halfway through that campaign workers were "just so tired, they don't care if they win or lose." Cameron Ahmad, a spokesperson for Trudeau, responded by saying that "campaign workers worked tremendously hard every step of the way, as they always do." He didn't respond to concerns regarding Trudeau's future or if calling an early election was a mistake.

PM Modi congratulates Trudeau

Meanwhile, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his return to the office on Wednesday, September 22. In a nail-biting election on Tuesday, Canada's Liberal Party retained power, and Trudeau is ready to take the oath for the third time.

PM Modi congratulated his Canadian counterpart in a tweet and stated that he looks forward to continuing to work with his government to enhance bilateral ties, as per Republic World.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Party's victory has cleared the way for 17 Indian-origin Canadians to achieve success, including NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan. Jagmeet Singh was elected to the Burnaby South seat with over 40% of the vote.

With 49% of the vote, Harjit Sajjan won the Vancouver-South seat for the second time. He received even more votes than he did in his last convincing win. With approximately 46% of the vote, Anand, who is presently the Minister of Vaccines, won the Oakville seat.

Anita Anand was a rookie MP when she was appointed, according to City News Toronto, after winning in 2019. "I'm just ecstatic," she said, thanking the volunteers for their "extremely hard work as a team for five weeks straight."