(Bloomberg) — Canada’s Conservative Party won a special election in a district in central Toronto, dealing a substantial blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party ahead of a national vote expected next year.

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Voters in Toronto-St. Paul’s elected Conservative candidate Don Stewart to the House of Commons, flipping a seat that has voted Liberal in every election since 1993. Stewart won 42% of the vote, according to Elections Canada data — defeating Liberal candidate Leslie Church, a former aide to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, by about 600 votes.

The gain for the Tories illustrates the cracks in Trudeau’s administration, and the result is likely to raise the pressure on the embattled prime minister to step aside before the next election. The Liberals have consistently won big in Canada’s largest city, helping the party hold power since 2015. But Monday’s loss signals that even its traditional strongholds are not safe as Trudeau’s popularity wanes and the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, surge in the polls.

The Conservatives ran a campaign largely focused on the Liberals’ economic record. Canada’s economy is growing at a sluggish pace, housing is unaffordable to many and elevated interest rates are still frustrating borrowers.

The party was also focused on the Israel-Hamas war, seeking to win support from a Jewish population that comprises about 11% of the district. The Conservatives have repeatedly accused Trudeau of being too soft in supporting Israel and failing to combat antisemitism at home.

Toronto-St. Paul’s was previously held by Carolyn Bennett, a Liberal Party stalwart and former cabinet minister who stepped aside to become Canada’s ambassador to Denmark.

–With assistance from Jacob Lorinc.

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