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Leslie Church, a lawyer who has advised the Liberals on policy, won Toronto-St. Paul鈥檚 in a rematch with Conservative Don Stewart.

Last June, Stewart won the riding once considered one of the safest Liberal seats in Canada, in a byelection that shocked the political establishment. Many considered Church鈥檚 loss a referendum on then-Liberal leader Justin Trudeau鈥檚 leadership.

In this race, at the door talking up new leader Carney as the best leader to confront U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 threat to Canadian sovereignty, Church handily won. At 11:30 p.m., with results still rolling in, her vote total almost doubled that of Stewart.

Church told the Star from her victory celebration that she was 鈥渄eeply, deeply grateful for the trust that the community has put in me to be their representative.鈥�

Asked what changed since the last race, she said, 鈥淭he stakes of the election are different. They are off the charts in terms of what I was hearing in the doors around Trump in particular 鈥� and the second piece is Mark Carney stepping up, being the Prime Minister, bringing his experience and steady hands to an unfolding economic crisis.鈥�

Asked how she feels about the possibility of her party winning a minority rather than the majority government predicted by many polls, Church said, 鈥淭he No. 1 priority here after the election is going to be to bring people together.

鈥淚 think that we鈥檝e been in a very tumultuous political climate for a number of months, and really with the threats at our doorstep from down south, what matters now is everybody working together across parties, across levels of governments 鈥� I think we鈥檙e going to have to put an emphasis on finding unity, taking down the temperature, and getting to work.鈥�

Pierre Poilievre鈥檚 Conservatives, however, struck back in York Centre. Roman Baber, a former Ontario MPP kicked out of the Progressive Conservative party for opposing COVID-19 restrictions, defeated Liberal incumbent Ya鈥檃ra Saks, who had served as Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health.

Baber represented the area provincially from 2018 to 2022. He has been a vocal opponent of vaccination mandates and a supporter of the convoy movement that occupied downtown Ottawa in 2022.

Both politicians are Jewish. Much of the campaign centred on demands from some residents that authorities crack down on pro-Palestinian protests in the riding, as well as debate over the Liberal government鈥檚 stance on Israel鈥檚 war on Hamas in Gaza.

Baber pointed to a March 2024 photo of Saks with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, when she was on a trip with Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to meet Palestinian and Israeli politicians. Saks pointed to Baber鈥檚 support for the Ottawa occupation, noting that some protesters displayed Nazi flags.

A little after midnight, Eglinton-Lawrence remained too close to call. Liberal newcomer Vince Gasparro led for most of the night but, with 135 of 213 polls reporting, Conservative Karen Stintz, the former city councillor and TTC chair, had moved into a slim lead.

Mideast politics were also a hot-button issue in that race.

This election also marked the end of the political career, for now, at least, of Bhutila Karpoche.

The popular two-term NDP MPP, the first Tibetan-Canadian elected in Canada, quit provincial politics to run for federal NDP in Taiaiako鈥檔-Parkdale-High Park.

She was defeated, however, by Liberal newcomer Karim Bardeesy, who runs a think tank at 海角社区官网Metropolitan University and held senior policy positions in the past Ontario Liberal governments of Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne.聽

Karpoche was the NDP鈥檚 best shot at regaining ground in Toronto. The New Democrats haven鈥檛 held a 海角社区官网seat since 2015, when eight incumbents were swept out in Justin Trudeau鈥檚 first Liberal victory.聽

Bardeesy attributed his victory over Karpoche in part to his team of almost 300 volunteers who showed up on election day.

鈥淭hat really helps make a difference,鈥� he said, speaking to the Star over the noise of his victory party at Fox and John鈥檚 Pub in Bloor West Village.

鈥淚t energizes people and it makes them want to support your cause.鈥�

Bardeesy said the Liberals鈥� near-sweep of the city鈥檚 two dozen ridings showed his party has 鈥渁 very strong team,鈥� and 鈥渢hat we can really deliver things for 海角社区官网and Ontario.鈥�

But he added that, given the threats from the U.S., many voters were thinking nationally rather than about local issues, and were attracted by Carney鈥檚 鈥減ositive鈥� stance on defending Canadian sovereignty.

Chrystia Freeland helped set up this election when she quit Justin Trudeau鈥檚 cabinet in December, a political bombshell that set in motion the eventual resignation of the then-prime minister.

In a victory speech after holding onto her seat in Toronto鈥檚 University-Rosedale, Freeland, who was Trudeau鈥檚 deputy prime minister and ran unsuccessfully to replace him as Liberal leader, said her party had 鈥渁 great night.鈥�

She told jubilant supporters at the El Mocambo concert venue on Spadina Avenue to think back to December, when the pundits were 鈥渨riting off鈥� the Liberals and predicting they would be lucky to hold onto official party status.

鈥淟ook at where we are now!鈥� she said to cheers, declaring that the party was 鈥減ainting 海角社区官网red.鈥�

Other Liberals re-elected included Yvan Banker, who fended off a challenge from former Conservative MP Ted Opitz.

In Scarborough-Guildwood-Rouge Park, an open seat after Liberal incumbent John McKay decided not to run again, Gary Anandasangaree beat Conservative Suchita Jalan and the NDP鈥檚 Kingsley Kwok.

Anandasangaree was previously MP for Scarborough-Rouge Park.