TORONTO (LifeSiteNews) — In what many are calling a disaster for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Conservative Party won a by-election Monday night in a longstanding Liberal-stronghold riding in downtown Toronto. 

According to June 24 by-election results from Elections Canada, Conservative candidate Don Stewart beat out Liberal candidate Leslie Church for the Toronto-St. Paul’s region, a Liberal stronghold of over 30 years. 

Congratulations to Common Sense Conservative candidate, @donstewartTO, on a shocking upset in Toronto-St. Paul’s, where people voted to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime,” Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre celebrated on X.

Congratulations to Common Sense Conservative candidate, @donstewartTO, on a shocking upset in Toronto-St. Paul’s, where people voted to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime.

Here is the verdict: Trudeau can’t go on like this. He must call a carbon tax… pic.twitter.com/72n6c2h9jC

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) June 25, 2024

According to final results from Elections Canada, Stewart received 42.1 percent of the votes compared to 40.5 percent for Church.  

The by-election win marks a massive victory for the Conservative Party and its leader Pierre Poilievre as the Toronto-St. Paul’s riding has voted Liberal since the 1980s. The win marks the first time the Conservatives have won an urban Toronto riding since 2011.

The election comes after months of polling projecting a massive Conservative victory in the next general election as Trudeau’s popularity continues to plummet.  

A June 17 poll from Abacus Data found that Conservatives have a 20 point lead over the Trudeau Liberals, while support for the Trudeau government has dropped to the lowest level since 2015. 

Similarly, as LifeSiteNews previously reported, 70 percent of Canadians feel that “everything is broken in this country,” explaining that Trudeau’s Liberal government is too focused on “climate change” and the war in Ukraine instead of real issues facing Canadians such as the rising cost of living. 

While conservative-minded Canadians are celebrating the by-election win, it should be noted that Poilievre himself holds a number of liberal positions on pro-life and pro-family issues. Earlier this month, Poilievre vowed never to oppose abortion or homosexual “marriage” after a Conservative MP voiced pro-life and pro-family views. 

In fact, Poilievre has been previously “red lighted” by Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), which rates politicians on their commitment to pro-life and pro-family values. 

CLC noted that, “In the 2022 leadership debates, Poilievre flatly stated that he is ‘pro-choice’ and ‘pro-choix’ on abortion, in both official languages.” 

As LifeSiteNews has reported, Poilievre has also been slow to show opposition to the even most radical left-wing positions pervasive in the nation, such as the gender mutilation of children. 

In February, Poilievre muzzled his own MPs from speaking about Alberta’s forthcoming ban on the “transitioning” children, only to come out days later in favor of the move after public support for Alberta’s policy rolled in. 

Poilievre eventually stated that he was opposed to oft-sterilizing puberty blockers being prescribed to children, but still refrained from pledging any action if he were elected prime minister, choosing instead to insist that such matters are best left under provincial jurisdiction.