Liberal candidate Charles Sousa declares victory in Mississauga-Lakeshore federal by-election

Former Ontario Finance Minister Charles Souza is heading to Ottawa after winning Monday’s federal by-election in Lakeside, Mississauga.

99.5% of polls report that Mr Sousa Liberalwith 51.2 percent of the vote, well ahead of his Conservative opponent, Peel Regional Police member Ron Chhinzer, who took 37.3 percent.

In contrast, in the 2021 federal election, Liberal Sven Spengemann won with 44% of the vote, compared with 38% for his Conservative opponent.

Mr. Spengemann vacated his position to work for the United Nations.

Turnout in Monday’s byelection was just 26.48 per cent, according to the Elections Commission of Canada website, though that figure does not include voters registered on Election Day.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touted a Liberal victory in parliament on Tuesday and answered an unrelated question Conservative Leader Pierre Poliev.

Mr. Trudeau said that in the back and forth in the House of Representatives, Canadians occasionally have the opportunity to have a say in what is going on in federal politics.

“The residents of Mississauga-Lakeshore have a choice. They can choose between the Conservative Party’s divisive politics and reckless proposals that suggest you avoid inflation by investing in cryptocurrencies, or our government’s approach It’s about being there every step of the way for Canadians and putting more money back in their pockets,” he said. “Well, Mr Speaker, the people of Mississauga Waterfront have spoken and elected a Liberal MP.”

It was the first time Canadian voters have gone to the polls since Mr. Poilievre was elected Conservative leader in September.

Mr Poilievre did not run, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau campaigned for Mr Sousa and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh campaigned for his party’s candidate, which won 4.9 per cent of the vote.

Mr Poilievre acknowledged the Conservatives would face a challenge in the constituency, which the Liberals have held since 1993 but haven’t held in four years.

“It’s been a difficult journey for us, but we have a fantastic candidate,” he said at a rare news conference on Capitol Hill last week.

Pollster Nik Nanos said the results favored the Liberals as they doubled the party’s lead over the Conservatives in the 2021 federal election, with the Liberals rising and the NDP falling, suggesting some Strategic progressive voting.

Mr. Nanos, chief data scientist at Nanos Research and the official pollster for The Globe and Mail and CTV News, said in a statement Tuesday that considering the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party under Doug Ford won the Conservative election As a result, the results for the Conservative Party were certainly disappointing. This year’s provincial election ride provincial iteration.

Political scientist Alex Marland said in an email exchange Tuesday that Mississauga’s waterfront is exactly the type of seat the Conservatives would take away from the Liberals if the Conservatives wanted to form a government.

“The result is a lump of coal that should cause Mr Poilievre and the Conservative Party to reflect over the holidays,” said Professor Marland, chair of political science at St. John’s Memorial University.

But Conservative strategist Kory Teneycke, campaign manager for Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s 2018 and 2022 campaigns, said Mr. Poillier should follow through.

“The key to politics is being consistent, having a solid strategy and sticking to it, and trying to choose your battles very carefully and trying to be disciplined in your message at all times,” Mr. Teneycke said in an interview on Tuesday.

“The idea that leaders should be taking campaign advice from Twitter or media pundits is fraught with danger. I don’t recommend that. Stick to the main topics – if you’re a Conservative – keep focusing on the economy, around affordability, interest rates, housing affordability , crime and public safety purse issues. These are areas where they’ve always had a 10% to 15% advantage.”

He also acknowledged the Liberals had a strong candidate, noting that local candidates were important in by-elections.

“There’s nothing wrong with the Conservative candidate as an individual, but the image as a police officer is not the same as the former finance minister of Ontario. In terms of the public image of the two main candidates, you have a very different image, so for someone who is better known That’s usually worth five points.”

Mr Nanos agreed that having a strong candidate was a key advantage for the Liberal Party. “In a world where Canadians are less enthusiastic about federal leaders and less loyal to their political parties, local candidates may increasingly be a key differentiator in election campaigns,” he said.

Conservative commentator Tim Powers, vice-chairman of Summa Strategies and managing director of Abacus Data, was also skeptical about the relevance of the by-election to the larger party effort, but said in an email exchange that the most meaningful outcome of the by-election would be – Elections are not victories, they are winners.

He said the brilliant Mr Souza had provided the federal government with a cabinet choice, something any prime minister wanted.

Mr. Sousa was elected a member of the Ontario legislature in 2007 and was a minister of labor and later of citizenship and immigration before serving as finance minister from 2013 to 2018, when he was defeated in that year’s provincial election.

The Liberal Party currently governs as a minority government with 158 members in the 337-seat parliament. The Conservatives have 118, the PQ 32 and the NDP 25. There are two Green MPs and two independent MPs. Jim Carr, a Liberal MP and former cabinet minister, died on Monday.

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