By Steve Scherer and David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau failed in his bid to win a Liberal majority government after a low-energy campaign in the middle of the pandemic, and party insiders see an increasing chance he will step down before the next vote.

Trudeau (49) called Monday’s election two-years early to reap the benefits of COVID-19’s government’s handling. Provisional results show that Trudeau won with another minority government, which will again make him work alongside opposition lawmakers.

Four top Liberals stated that there wasn’t any sign of an organized move to remove Trudeau who is known for tightening control on a party notoriously prone to infighting.

His third attempt to reach his target in his election was a disappointment. It could be a sign that Trudeau is not ready for the next round. Since 1900, no prime minister has been elected four times consecutively. Trudeau was the son of a failed prime minister in 1979.

A Liberal who ran the campaign said, “This is his Party at this point. We are his party.” He requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter.

“I am not certain if he were me I’d like to run again. You don’t want your support to be so diluted that you lose your seat in the next elections.”

Two heavy-weight cabinet members, Francois-Philippe Champagne and Chrystia Freeland (Finance Minister) are possible successors.

Trudeau is a charismatic and progressive politician, the son of Pierre Trudeau – former Liberal Prime Minster. But voters began to fatigue after the Liberal leader had been in power for six years.

RECOIL TO VOTE

Trudeau decided to call a snap vote after opposition legislators blocked his budget and other bills during a charged June session, three well-placed sources said.

The events in June showed that we needed to vote at the polls this summer. “It was so painful, we just couldn’t do it again,” stated one Liberal.

However, Trudeau had difficulty dealing with the opposition claims that it was a power grab from the moment he made the call on August 15.

“There was an outcry (by voters). Trudeau claimed that he has good numbers. Philippe Fournier of the political site 338.com said Philippe Fournier that Trudeau stated that he could run for an election. However, he didn’t know that there had been no election.

Another insider said Trudeau had not realized that his closest circle was exhausted from fighting COVID-19 over 15 months.

Halfway through the campaign, another Liberal stated that campaign workers are “just so tired they don’t care what happens.”

Cameron Ahmad, Trudeau’s spokesman, responded that campaign staff “worked incredibly hard every single step of the journey, just like they always do.” Questions about Trudeau’s future and whether Trudeau had made a mistake by calling early for the election were not addressed.

Senior strategists claimed that canvassers who knock on doors to express discontent with Trudeau were being influenced by Trudeau’s behavior.

Even though Trudeau numbers started to decline in August and Liberal campaign officials expressed no concern at first.

“These two first weeks are just froth. It’s nothing. A third Liberal said that nobody is paying much attention.

The first Liberal answered the question about the minorities: “It is what it’s.. Canadians have decided that this is what they want.”

Trudeau caused more excitement and fatigue in the public than he did.

The problem is that we didn’t have a clear answer for the question “Why would you call an election when there’s a pandemic?” A Liberal strategist stated this towards the end, as it was clear that a majority wasn’t possible.

Liberals devised a plan to ensure Trudeau’s government would remain in existence for at most three years. It allowed Trudeau time to focus on the important issues of child care and combating climate change, as well as his future.

Trudeau will speak out publicly next week, and may give details about his plans.

Senior advisers and lawmakers said Trudeau didn’t want to stay in power forever but that he was willing to fight for a fourth election if the government fails. This would allow him to push through key parts of his agenda.

Minority governments last approximately 18 months. However, they can potentially last as long as four years if nobody brings them down.

LAST ELD?

Trudeau is a father to three children and became a Liberal legislator. He took the reins of leadership at an era when it was looking grim in 2013. He became Canada’s first leader who took a party from the third to victory position two years later.

He is having fun, that’s the main question. “I don’t believe the next stage of this pandemic will be fun. I also don’t believe our fiscal situation will be enjoyable.” Another advisor compared Trudeau’s likelihood of Trudeau leaving early 2023 to 50-50.

Tamara Small of the University of Guelph, professor of political science said that Trudeau could lose this election. “Winning three consecutive elections is difficult.”

Conservatives have lost three elections in succession and may seek a new leader.

Trudeau’s grip on Toronto made it clear that the Conservatives received more popular votes than the Liberals.

In the House of Commons, the Liberals and New Democrats headed by Jagmeet Sing – which favors spending heavily on social programs – have a comfortably majority of 338 seats.

His mother Margaret Trudeau was very confident that the minority government would be formed, even though she was waiting for her son to speak.

“You don’t want too many power to get somewhere, do you?” Reporters were informed by her. She said, “I know Jagmeet to be a remarkable man. He is compassionate as Justin.”