Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has brushed off the latest by-election loss to the fact that Canadians don’t quite understand the moment they’re in.

Asked for his reaction to losing Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun by-election to the Bloc Quebecois, the PM told reporters that “politics is a challenging moment.” 

He added: “We need people to understand what’s at stake in this upcoming election.”

The Montreal riding had been a longtime Liberal stronghold, making this loss particularly significant. In the last three general elections, former Liberal MP David Lametti consistently secured the seat with ease, often receiving nearly double the votes of his closest competitor.

But this time, the Liberal candidate Laura Palestini fell short by about 250 votes, losing to the Bloc Québécois candidate, Louis-Philippe Sauvé.

Sauvé took in 28% of the vote, compared to Palestini’s 27.2%. 

Manitoba’s Elmwood—Transcona

The other byelection on Monday night took place in eastern Winnipeg’s Elmwood-Transcona riding, after the federal NDP’s Bill Blaikie stepped down to work for Manitoba’s NDP Premier.

NDP candidate Leila Dance won the election with 48.1% of the vote, while Conservative candidate Colin Reynolds finished closely behind with 44%.

The Liberal candidate, Ian MacIntyre, received just 4.8% of the vote, a significant drop from the 14% he garnered in the 2021 federal election.

The NDP have held the seat for most of the last four decades, except for 2011-2015 when the Conservatives won it.