OTTAWA (CityNews) ? A buoyant, optimistic Justin Trudeau was met with applause at the Liberal headquarters in Montreal as he thanked Canadians for re-electing him – despite coming out of a 36-day federal election campaign with a nearly identical number of seats.

The gamble to turn a minority government into a majority backfired for Trudeau, but the Liberal leader secured enough votes during Canada’s pandemic election to earn his third term as prime minister.

The Liberals won a minority government, falling short of the 170 seats needed in the 338-seat House of Commons to have a majority. Trudeau will need the support of at least one other party to maintain that minority government.

“When I became prime minister six years, I couldn’t know what the future held,” Trudeau told his supporters during his victory speech. “We didn’t know that we’d be facing a once-in-a-century pandemic or a worldwide economic crisis. But what I did know is that together Canadians can overcome any obstacle, and that is exactly what we will continue to do. For more head to 680NEWS