UPDATED June 25, 2024 1:57pmET
Voters in Toronto--St. Paul's have elected a Conservative for the first time since 1988 -- with Don Stewart narrowly defeating Liberal candidate Leslie Church in the race to succeed longtime Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett.
Watch reaction from the prime minister and finance minister:
“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,” says PM Justin Trudeau as he comments on byelection loss in Toronto—St. Paul’s.#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/oQaUetlNOJ
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) June 25, 2024
"The prime minister is committed to leading us into the next election and he has our support," Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland responds when asked about the future of Justin Trudeau's leadership following the Liberals' byelection loss in Toronto—St. Paul’s.
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) June 25, 2024
#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/qtoihtFCHn
Watch our by-election preview:
Tonda MacCharles, Ottawa bureau chief for the Toronto Star, visited the riding and shared her impressions with Michael Serapio on PrimeTime Politics. (June 18)
Dozens of protest candidates are on the ballot -- leaving the riding's 84,668 eligible voters with 84 names to choose from.
Here are the registered party candidates:
| Leslie Church | Liberal |
| Don Stewart | Conservative |
| Amrit Parhar |
NDP |
| Christian Cullis |
Green |
| Dennis Wilson |
PPC |
| Meñico Turcotte |
Marxist-Leninist |
| Ali Mohiuddin |
Centrist |
| Danny Légaré |
Marijuana |
| Sean Carson |
Rhinocéros |
About Toronto--St. Paul's
Toronto--St. Paul's, formerly known as St. Paul's, has elected Liberals and Conservatives over the past 90 years. The list includes a former Governor General and House speaker (Roland Michener), and former cabinet ministers (Barbara MacDougall, John Roberts, Ron Atkey).
Bennett had easily won recent elections since the last riding redistribution:
Toronto--St. Paul's will look different in the next general election, thanks to the boundary adjustment process that takes place every decade.
The Ontario commission initially renamed the riding St. Clair—Mount Pleasant and proposed major boundary changes. Both "were ill-received by the public," according to the final report.
338Canada projected 2021 results onto the new map: Liberal 49.5% / Conservative 26.5% / NDP 15.9%.
