Canada Liberals see tough road after vote setbacks
* Liberals come in third in all four by-elections
* Conservatives pick up support in Quebec
* Liberal support started falling in September
OTTAWA, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Humbled by a poor showing in special elections on Monday, Canada's opposition Liberal Party acknowledged on Tuesday it has a steep hill to climb to regain popular support.
The Liberals, the biggest opposition party and the most successful political party in Canadian history, came in in third place in all four of Monday's elections, held to fill vacant seats in the federal Parliament.
The Liberals decided in September to try to bring down the minority Conservative government in Parliament and force a general election, but their dismal showing in Monday's by-elections, and an unexpected pickup in support for the Conservatives in the French-speaking province of Quebec, have prompted some soul-searching.
"The by-election results last night show that we have a lot of work ahead of us," said Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, a former Harvard don who shook up his inner circle this month in a bid to rebuild momentum.
"Our job in the months ahead is to earn the confidence and support of Canadians."
The governing party often loses ground in by-elections but the Conservatives added two seats on Monday -- including a surprise win in Quebec, where until recently they had been losing ground.
The Liberals had not been expected to win any of the by-elections but they had been expected to put in a stronger showing.
Monday's results also show pressure on the centrist Liberals from smaller left-leaning New Democratic Party, which held on to one seat in British Columbia and came second in two of the other contests.
"One gold and two silver -- I'm happy with that," NDP spokesman Karl Belanger said.
Liberal support across Canada started falling in September when the party decided to try to trigger an election just a year after the last one, in the middle of a fragile economic recovery.
The Liberals have said they will no longer move motions of non-confidence in the government in Parliament but have avoided answering whether they will still always vote against the Conservatives when confidence tests arise, such as parliamentary votes on budgetary matters. (Editing by Peter Galloway)
