Despite low turnout, Liberals take Toronto
PM hails ‘progressive’ women who won in downtown byelections
OTTAWA— Annamie Paul still wishes there was no election.
The Green leader campaigned against the campaign she took part in over the past month, arguing it was irresponsible for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call byelections in North York and downtown Toronto in the midst of COVID-19’s record-breaking second wave.
But even though she rode her own surge of support to place second in the Liberal stronghold of Toronto Centre on Monday — a result her team calls “historic” — Paul said she is firm in her belief that the pandemic is not the best time for electoral politics.
The low voter turnout reported by Elections Canada is evidence voters were deterred from casting ballots by the risk of infection. The agency reported about 26 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots in York Centre, while about 31 per cent voted in Toronto Centre.
Despite her reservations, Paul and the Greens joined other parties in declaring their own version of victory in the wake of Monday’s federal byelections in Canada’s biggest city. The only party to have actually won — the Liberals — welcomed two incoming MPs from York Centre and Toronto Centre.
The entire city remains Liberal red, as it has since Trudeau took power in 2015.
In Toronto Centre, Paul lost to Liberal candidate Marci Ien, a former morning television host who was elected with 42 per cent of the vote.
The Liberals also won in York Centre, with candidate Ya’ara Saks defeating Conservative challenger Julius Tiangson by less than 700 votes (46 per cent to 42 per cent).
In Ottawa, Trudeau hailed the results by noting two “progressive” women will take seats formerly held by men, advancing the Liberal cause of more balanced gender representation in the House of Commons.
“Byelections are always a challenge, even more so during a pandemic.
“But the tens of thousands of people (who) came out demonstrate that our democracy is strong,” Trudeau said.
Conservatives, however, saw the result in York Centre as evidence their new leader, Oshawa
MP Erin O’Toole, can appeal to voters in Canada’s biggest city — something many political observers see as necessary if the party is to have a real chance at winning power.
At Queen’s Park, Progressive Conservatives suggested it was Premier Doug Ford’s current popularity — rather than O’Toole’s — that gave the federal Tories a boost in York Centre.
“They might have won there but for Maxime Bernier,” said one senior provincial Tory of the People’s Party leader who siphoned 3.6 per cent of the vote from the Conservative candidate.
Another provincial Tory, noting the federal party blamed exleader Andrew Scheer’s mediocre performance in last year’s election on Ford, said the national Conservatives should give credit where credit is due.
“If they were willing to blame us for last time, maybe they’d want to thank us this time” the second official said.