Chrystia Freeland Wins Toronto-Centre Byelection

The Canadian Press

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TORONTO – The Liberals held on November 25 to the coveted downtown riding of Toronto-Centre, crushing New Democrat hopes of stealing away a long-time Liberal seat in high-stakes opposition contest that at times seemed to be a dress rehearsal for the 2015 general election.

Liberal candidate Chrystia Freeland defeated NDP rival Linda McQuaig, with Elections Canada reporting Freeland ahead with 48.9 per cent of the votes to McQuaig’s 36.3 per cent, with 206 of 268 polls.

Widely seen as a litmus test of which party would prevail as the best alternative to the governing Conservatives, both the Liberals and NDP poured their resources into the campaign, with both Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair making appearances on the hustings.

Freeland credited Trudeau’s numerous appearances as “hugely important” to her win.

Freeland – whose impressive resume includes degrees at both Harvard and Oxford, editor at Thomson Reuters and award-winning author – said the byelections were the first act ahead of the 2015 general election.

On the homefront, Freeland said housing and transit are huge issues in her new riding, as well as an agenda to grow the economy.

NP – Chrystia Freeland is author of the recent book “Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else.” Ms. Freeland is of Ukrainian heritage, married to Graham Bowley, and speaks to their three children in Ukrainian at home. They live in Toronto.