Liberals, NDP Expecting Show Down in Byelections

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Usually by-elections are deemed as an opportunity for voters to express their opinions regarding the government in power, though it does not seem to be the case on Monday’s by-election in four ridings across Canada. These by-elections are in many ways turning out to be a test of strength for the opposition. The results of these by-elections are deemed to hold a significant impact on the shape of politics to take place within next two years, paving the way for a leading party which can lay the larger claim to the title of “government-in-waiting” leading up to the 2015 election.

Liberals and New Democrats have both paid great attention to the contest, whereas the final show is anticipated to take place in Toronto Centre, which is seen as a long Liberal stronghold where the NDP is now keen to show it’s on the rise. In addition to that, the Toronto Centre riding has also received special attention due to majority of its contenders being noticeable journalists, including the international author and columnist, Chrystia Freeland as the Liberal candidate, former Star columnist, Linda McQuaig for the NDP, and former Star reporter John Deverell for the Green Party. Whereas, the Conservative candidate is Toronto lawyer Geoff Pollock.

Numerous visits of party leaders Thomas Mulcair and Justin Trudeau to Toronto Centre riding over the past few weeks has made it very clear how much both Liberals and New Democrats value the contest. National Director of the NDP, Nathan Rotman, revealed that “we’re spending a lot of time testing out different things — tactics and messages in these campaigns,” and “this is very much using these campaigns to see what we should do, looking forward to 2015.”