Justin Trudeau's Future Hangs In Balance After Bid For Majority Fails

Justin Trudeau, 49, called Monday's election two years early seeking to benefit from his government's handling of COVID-19.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau failed in his bid to win a Liberal majority government after a low-energy campaign in the middle of the pandemic, and party insiders see an increasing chance he will step down before the next vote.

Trudeau, 49, called Monday's election two years early seeking to benefit from his government's handling of COVID-19. But provisional results showed he came away with another minority administration, which will once again force him to work with opposition legislators.

Four senior Liberals said there was no sign of a coordinated move to oust Trudeau, who has imposed tight control over a party known for previous bouts of infighting.

But coming up short of his goal in his third election cast immediate doubts on the future of his leadership and could spur him to leave of his own accord. No prime minister for more than 100 years has won four consecutive elections. Trudeau's father tried and failed in 1979.