Liberals win in Quebec, Ontario to form minority government

After a tight campaign that saw the two leading parties struggle to break out of the pack, the Liberals under Justin Trudeau have held on to just enough seats in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario to secure a minority government.

According to CBC News, while the final ballots are still being counted in several ridings, the Liberals are expected to win 156 seats, 21 fewer than they started with 40 days ago. The Conservatives moved up from 95 seats to an estimated 122, while the NDP lost 15 seats to end up with 24.

The Liberals managed to win despite preliminary numbers showing the Conservatives won the popular vote, taking 34.5 per cent of the vote to the Liberals’ 33 per cent. That result was most pronounced in the Prairies, where Conservative turnout and support was very high. In Alberta, the Conservatives won almost 70 per cent of the popular vote to the Liberals’ almost 14 per cent. In Saskatchewan, the Tories took 65 per cent of the vote to the Liberals’ 10 per cent.

The Liberals managed to hang on to power by holding their ground in both Quebec and Ontario. At dissolution the Liberals had 76 seats in Ontario; they are now poised to win 77 there. In Quebec, the Liberals went into the election with 40 seats and — despite the surging fortunes of the Bloc Québécois — are set to lose only five of those. The Liberals took 26 of 32 seats in Atlantic Canada — a region the party swept in 2015.

Trudeau thanked his supporters, his campaign team, staff and candidates for their hard work. “You did it, my friends. Congratulations,” he said. “From coast to coast to coast tonight, Canadians rejected division and negativity. They rejected cuts and austerity and they voted in favour of a progressive agenda and strong action on climate change.

“It has been the greatest honour to serve you for these past four years and tonight you’re sending us back to work for you. We take this responsibility seriously and we will work hard for you, for your families and for your future.”

In his concession speech, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer thanked his supporters and volunteers for their hard work during the campaign, telling them that the Conservatives are “on the march.” “The strength of our democracy is measured not only by the ballots we cast but also how we move forward after they’re counted,” Scheer said.

“While’s tonight’s result isn’t what we wanted, I am also incredibly proud — proud of our team, proud of our campaign and proud of the bigger and stronger Conservative team that we will send to Ottawa.”
“Tonight Conservatives have put Justin Trudeau on notice and Mr Trudeau, when your government falls Conservatives will be ready and we will win.”

It was an evening of surprises — among them, Liberal Adam van Koeverden’s victory over Conservative Deputy Leader Lisa Raitt in the Ontario riding of Milton, and the election of the first Green Party MP outside of B.C. — Jenica Atwin in Fredericton, N.B. — to bring the Green caucus in the House of Commons up to three.

“I served Miltonians for 11 years. There’s a lot of people who never make it into the House of Commons and I’ve been so privileged to be there,” Raitt told CBC News after her loss. “It’s not the win that we wanted to have this evening but I’m among my friends, and I’m among my family and everybody who’s been with me for 11 years, so we’re going to turn it into a celebration of what we’ve been able to accomplish.”

Long-time Liberal MP and cabinet minister Ralph Goodale lost his Regina-Wascana to Conservative challenger Michael Kram. During his concession speech, Goodale thanked his volunteers and constituents for mandates in the past. He also expressed gratitude for the many close personal friendships he’s made over his years in politics.

“I will always treasure very, very deeply those personal friendships and the bonds that have tied us together,” he said. “Because they have been built out of mutual respect and trust, commitment to principles and ideals … never sparing an ounce of effort, always being willing, all of us together, to go the extra mile to try very hard to accomplish that little bit more for the people that we had the duty and obligation to represent in this riding.”