Canadian prime minister will stay in power but will be forced to navigate a parliament that he needs to woo in order to survive

• Canada election 2021: full results

Justin Trudeau went into Monday’s federal election with one of the world’s highest Covid-19 vaccination rates, billions spent on pandemic aid and the hope that he could convert the earned goodwill into a majority government.

He fell short of that aim: after a 36-day campaign and a C$610m election, the makeup of parliament remained largely unchanged, with the Liberals holding roughly 158 seats – short of the 170 needed for a majority.

Canadian prime minister will stay in power but has not won the majority he hoped for after calling a snap election

• Canada election 2021: full results

Justin Trudeau has secured a third election victory, but his decision to call a snap election was criticised by political opponents – and even allies – after the Canadian prime minister failed once again to win a parliamentary majority.

As of Tuesday morning, the Liberals had won or were leading in 158 seats – short of the 170 needed for a majority. Erin O’Toole’s opposition Conservatives won 119, a result that largely mirrored the outcome of the 2019 election.

Post-vaccination election gamble may backfire as parties face off in tightly contested vote battle

As Canadians head to the polls on Monday, prime minister Justin Trudeau will be watching nervously to see if his gamble to call an election will win his party more power in parliament – or leave him with even fewer seats and rivals sensing a growing political weakness.

But in a tightly contested election marred by a public health crisis and concerns over delays in ballot counting, it could take days to learn the winner.