Canadians vote in a tight national election that Justin Trudeau may lose

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — (Image credit: Cole Burston/Getty Images)

Canadians elect a new Parliament in national elections Monday, and polls suggest that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could become the first Canadian leader in 84 years to be ousted after one four-year term with a parliamentary majority. Trudeau's Liberal Party is neck-and-neck with the Conservative Party and its leader, Andrew Scheer, though it seems likely neither party will win an outright majority of Parliament's 338 seats.

If the election results in Canada's first coalition government since 1972, the likely combinations would be Trudeau being joined by the New Democratic Party (NDP) or the Conservatives pairing up with the separatist Bloc Quebecois. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has suggested he is open to a governing coalition with the Liberals, though Trudeau has not made similar public overtures.

The campaign has been "nasty," especially by Canadian standards, says CNN's Paula Newton. Trudeau's once-high popularity has been eroded by unmet expectations and a series of controversies and scandals, most recently his admission he has worn blackface on multiple occasions. The blackface controversy doesn't seem to have shifted public opinion much, and Scheer, a career politician who only recently disclosed that he holds dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship, has been unable to gain traction with his attacks on Trudeau.

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The net result of the dirt-slinging has been a disenchanted electorate and "a desert from a public policy point of view," veteran Canadian pollster Nik Nanos tells CNN. "If people were to describe the election, it would be 'Indecision 2019.'" Preliminary results for Canada's 338 ridings, or parliamentary districts, are expected to be announced Monday night.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.