The Conservatives prepared the ground for defeat in an extraordinary intervention by campaign chair Walied Soliman, on election day, when he told the Toronto Star that holding Trudeau to a minority would be a win. Given polling that had the Tories hitting record lows over the summer, it is an understandable impulse. But saying it while the polls were still open and there was still the prospect of an upset, was highly unusual. Soliman’s comments speak to the lack of job security for any modern Conservative leader who loses, but especially one who was elected by only one-third of the party members in the last leadership contest.
For the record: What did the leaders say after the results were in? Read our transcripts of last night speeches:
Erin O’Toole: ‘I will never stop serving this great country’
Jagmeet Singh: ‘We are going to fight for you with everything we have’
Justin Trudeau: ‘Our government is ready’