Trudeau narrowly wins third term as PM but Liberals fall short of majority

Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party has narrowly won Canada’s snap general election, but it failed to secure a majority of seats.

This is Mr Trudeau’s third federal election win, even as critics insist the poll was a waste of time.

The Liberals are projected to win 158 seats, short of the 170 seats needed for the majority Mr Trudeau was seeking with his early election call.

The Conservatives have held onto their position as the main opposition to Trudeau’s party and are expected to win about 122 seats.

“There are still votes to be counted but what we’ve seen tonight is millions of Canadians have chosen a progressive plan,” Mr Trudeau told supporters in Montreal on Tuesday morning. “You elected a government that will fight for you and deliver for you.”

The election, which took place during a fourth pandemic wave in Canada, was the most expensive in the country’s history, costing some C$600m (U.S.$470m).