Toronto-St. Paul’s Byelection Results Unveiled as Liberal Candidate Sees Early Lead

The federal byelection results for Toronto-St. Paul’s riding have begun to emerge following the closure of the polls. Leslie Church, the Liberal candidate and former chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, is currently holding a slight lead over Conservative contender Don Stewart. Amrit Parhar, representing the NDP, is trailing in third place as per the initial reports from over 15 polls.

Elections Canada had noted earlier that the counting process might be delayed due to the extensive size of the ballot sheet, nearly a metre long, consisting of over seven dozen candidates. This unusual ballot size was a deliberate move by a protest group known as the Longest Ballot Committee to challenge the first-past-the-post electoral system’s perceived flaws.

The Toronto-St. Paul’s byelection was triggered by the resignation of long-time Liberal representative Carolyn Bennett earlier this year. It is widely viewed as a crucial test of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s leadership, especially considering the riding’s historical allegiance to the Liberal Party.

Chrystia Freeland, who has been actively involved in supporting Leslie Church’s campaign, has been closely monitoring the unfolding results. The Green Party of Canada fielded Christian Cullis as their candidate in this highly contested electoral race.