Polls closed in the Toronto-St. Paul Byelection.
The polls have closed in the riding of Toronto-St. Paul, while the byelection count is taking longer than normal with a record-breaking 84 candidates on the ballot.
The long list of names is the work of the Longest Ballot Committee, a group that is protesting Canada’s first-past-the-post voting system.
Running for the Liberals is Leslie Church, a former chief of staff for Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. A lawyer by profession, Ms. Church was previously head of communications for Google Canada, before working for the Liberal government after the 2015 election.
Her main competitor is the Conservative candidate Don Stewart, who has engineering and business degrees and works in the financial sector.
Running for the NDP is Amrit Parhar, a community organizer and director of programs at non-profit Institute for Change Leaders.
The riding is considered a Liberal stronghold, as the party has held it since 1988.
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The result of the election will be regarded as a test for the upcoming general election, as anything less than a strong win for the Liberals in the byelection could foreshadow a weak showing in the main event.
The byelection was called after Liberal MP and former Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett resigned in January, and subsequently became Canada’s ambassador to Denmark.
Ms. Bennett first won the riding in 1997, and held the seat in subsequent elections, most often with more than 50 percent of the vote.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
