After a gamble of a snap election that dissolved the government, followed by the shortest possible campaign, Trudeau has arguably ended up where he started off.
The House of Commons doesn’t look much different than it did before the election — however the government is out $600 million. Trudeau is still the prime minister with a minority government for his third term. He was also re-elected in his riding from Papineau, Quebec which he has represented since 2008.
It seemed that the Conservatives and Erin O’Toole had gained some momentum in the end leg of campaigning, but it doesn’t seem like it was enough. They might have gotten more overall votes, in fact 3% more than the Liberals, but they were unable to secure the necessary seats needed to form the government.
170 seats are needed out of the 338 seats in the House of Commons in order to form a majority. Liberals were only able to get 155 seats, with the Conservatives following with 119 seats. Bloc Quebecois won 32 seats, the NDP won 24 seats and the Greens were only able to make their mark with 2 seats in the House of Commons.
Trudeau addressed Canadians from the Liberal headquarters in Montreal. He said “I have heard you. I know you don’t want to hear any more talk of elections and politics. You want us to concentrate on the work that is necessary for you. You just want to know that your members of Parliament will have your back through this crisis and beyond. The moment we face demands real, important change. You have given this Parliament and this government clear direction.” (via News1130)
There is a huge chance that Canadians will be returning to the polls in another 18 months, as Trudeau had said during his campaign if he did not get a majority government.