Manitoba Liberal MPs said they stick by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau despite the crushing loss of a Grit stronghold to the Conservatives in a Toronto byelection this week.
Don Stewart beat Leslie Church in Toronto-St. Paul’s Tuesday byelection. The seat was vacated by longtime Liberal cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett, who announced her resignation in December.
Winnipeg MP Dan Vandal said he doesn’t view the loss as a harbinger of doom.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
MP Terry Duguid (Winnipeg South) said the recent Toronto-St. Paul’s byelection forced Liberals to ponder why the party lost the seat.
“I’m very disappointed we lost it, but I don’t think it’s a referendum on Trudeau or an indication of the larger election, which is coming in 16 months,” Vandal said Thursday.
“I think that’s a separate question.”
He suggested the loss was partly a response to difficult economic times, and noted the situation is “not unique to Canada, and it’s certainly not because of our prime minister.”
“People are angry about lots of stuff, the interest rates, the inflation, in that particular riding, the Gaza-Israel issue was huge for that riding,” he said.
He said in his own experience, he hasn’t seen the same anger from people in his Winnipeg riding.
“I can tell you that the people I’ve talked to… are not big fans of Poilievre, and I get a good vibe and good energy back from wherever I go.”
Vandal and MP Terry Duguid joined federal health minister Mark Holland, who was in Winnipeg to announce an expansion of the federal dental plan to include eligible children and adults who have a valid disability tax credit certificate.
Duguid, who is parliamentary secretary to the Trudeau, said it’ll be announcements such as the dental plan that will influence voters when they vote.
Nonetheless, he said it was important to reflect on why the loss occurred.
“We have to reflect on the loss, and I think we just have to redouble our efforts, put our shoulders to the wheel, work harder, work smarter,” he said.
“I think Canadians will will decide on the kind of country they want to live in, and I don’t think it is the vision of our country that Pierre Poilievre is promoting.”
Both Vandal and Duguid said they plan to run again in 2025.
malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
Malak Abas
Reporter
Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.
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