Byelection results: Justin Trudeau handed his second byelection upset in recent months

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been handed his second byelection upset in recent months, as the Bloc Quebecois won LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, Que., a longtime Liberal seat in Montreal.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's going to "stay focused" on governing after being handed his second byelection upset in recent months.

"Obviously, it would have been nicer to be able to win and hold Verdun, but there's more work to do, and we're going to stay focused on doing it," Trudeau said in Ottawa Tuesday morning.

After already signalling he was set on staying on as leader regardless of the results, Trudeau said there are "all sorts of reflections" to come on what went wrong for the Liberals.

"But the big thing is to make sure that Canadians understand that the choice they get to make in the next election about the kind of country we are really matters, and that's the work we're going to continue to do," Trudeau said.

"I want to congratulate everyone who stepped up in putting their name on a ballot, at a time where we know politics is in a challenging moment. I also want to highlight the thousands upon thousands of volunteers who stepped out – lots for our party, but lots for other parties as well – to show that people are still very much engaged," Trudeau said. "At the same time, we need people to be more engaged. We need people to understand what's at stake."

It was a better night for the parties that hold the balance of power in the current minority Parliament.

The Bloc Québécois clinched LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, Que., a longtime Liberal seat in Montreal, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh managed to narrowly hold on to the NDP stronghold of Elmwood Transcona, Man., squashing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s only real hope in the pair of races of picking up another riding.