Trudeau Tarnished in Election Gamble

Justin Trudeau believed his adept response to the pandemic would help him handily win reelection as prime minister, and he did Monday, but his gamble to try to gain an absolute majority didn't pay off.

He had swept to power in a landslide in 2015, with a mop of dark curly hair and confident swagger, jumping into crowds to take selfies with adoring young fans. Six years later, at 49, he faced a barrage of criticism on the campaign trail, and even threats, France24 said.

After doling out hundreds of billions of dollars in Covid aid to workers and businesses, Trudeau triggered the snap election seeking to regain the majority in parliament he'd lost in 2019.

University of Winnipeg politics professor Felix Mathieu said Trudeau could now face a challenge for the leadership of his party "because he lost his bet" for a majority government.