NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has won his crucial bid for the British Columbia riding of Burnaby South in one of three federal byelections Monday.
Singh captured 38.1 per cent of the vote with 165 of 196 polls reporting.
Winning in Burnaby was seen as key for Singh, who has faced criticism that his performance as leader has been underwhelming. Under his leadership, the NDP has plunged to its lowest standings in public opinion polls since 2000, when it won just 13 seats.
READ MORE: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wins Burnaby South byelection
But while the victory is poised to tighten Singh’s shaky grip on the reins of the NDP, the challenge ahead was underscored by the simultaneous loss of Outremont, the Montreal riding that launched the NDP’s orange wave that swept Quebec in 2011.
Liberal candidate Rachel Bendayan took Outremont, beating out the NDP’s Julia Sanchez and Conservative Jasmine Louras. Bendayan had 41 per cent of the vote with 147 of 170 polls reporting.
Outremont was a longtime Liberal stronghold until 2007, when former NDP leader Tom Mulcair scored an upset byelection victory for the NDP, creating a beachhead for the New Democrats that helped them launch their sweep of Quebec.
The riding became vacant after former Mulcair resigned in August of last year.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, easily hung onto the Ontario riding of York-Simcoe.
Scot Davidson captured over 53 per cent of the votes with 115 of 136 polls reporting, while Liberal candidate Shaun Tanaka had less than 30 per cent.
— With files from the Canadian Press and Maham Abedi