Trudeau says he hears Canadians' 'concerns and frustrations' after dramatic byelection loss

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he hears Canadians' "concerns and frustrations" as questions mount about his future as Liberal leader following his party's stunning byelection loss.

Conservative Don Stewart won the longtime federal Liberal stronghold of Toronto-St. Paul's in the early hours of Tuesday in a dramatic win, ending a race that was largely viewed as referendum on Trudeau's leadership.

"This was obviously not the result we wanted, but I want to be clear that I hear your concerns and frustrations," Trudeau said in a media statement.

"These are not easy times. And it is clear, I and my entire team, have much more hard work to do to deliver tangible, real progress that Canadians can see and feel."

Before Monday's close vote, a Conservative candidate hadn't been competitive in Toronto-St. Paul's since the 1980s. The party hadn't won a seat in urban Toronto since the 2011 federal election.

Éric Grenier, a polling analyst who runs thewrit.ca, said that while the polls suggested the byelection would be close, even the Conservatives likely were surprised by the win.

"Could it get much worse for the Liberals? This is perhaps one of the worst results that they could have had right now because they're going into the summer, there's been lots of questions about Justin Trudeau's leadership," he said.

"This is a big loss for the Liberals and it's a symbolic loss. I think there are going to be a lot of questions that are going to start being asked over the next few weeks."

The outgoing Liberal MP for the riding, Carolyn Bennett, beat her Conservative opponent by about 24 points in 2021. This time around, Liberal candidate Leslie Church lost by about two points.

Stewart's win broke the Liberals' grip on urban Toronto and raises questions for Liberal MPs who thought their seats were safe.

Roughly 55 Liberal MPs won their Ontario ridings by margins smaller than the one Bennett posted in Toronto–St. Paul's in the last general election, according to a CBC News analysis of past election data.

"Will there be a lot of Liberal MPs who are going to look at these results in Toronto-St. Paul's and think to themselves, 'I won my riding by a margin that was a lot smaller than 24 points, what are my chances of being re-elected?'" said Grenier.

Trudeau has repeatedly told journalists he plans to stay on as leader of the party.

"We will never stop working and fighting to make sure you have what you need to get through these tough times. My focus is on your success and that's where it's going to stay," he said Tuesday.