Justin Trudeau won a second term as Prime Minister of Canada last night in a narrow victory which will mean he will lead a minority government. Trudeau’s Liberal Party led in 146 out of 304 electoral districts , short of the 170 needed to secure a majority government.
Addressing supporters, Trudeau said the nation had voted in favour of a “progressive agenda” and committed his government to fighting for all Canadians, not just those who voted for him.
The leader of the Conservative Party Andrew Scheer said while the night had not ended the way he wanted, the results – which saw the Liberals lose around 20 seats and the Conservatives win a larger share of the popular vote than the Liberals – showed his party had “put Trudeau on notice”. He declared his party is “the government in waiting”.
Other Results
Greens – In an election campaign where the threat of climate change loomed large, Canada’s Green Party had its best result to date with 3 seats, however, failed to make a major breakthrough.
NDP – Jagmeet Singh’s comeback fails to materialize as NDP fell to fourth place behind the Bloc.
Bloc Québécois – Big winners in the vote were the Bloc Québécois, which more than tripled the party’s seat count compared to the 2015 election, making it the largest party after the Liberals and Conservatives. The leader of Bloc Québécois Yves-François Blanchet told supporters the desire for Quebec sovereignty ran deep within him but he did not go to parliament to undermine federalism, but would represent the interests of Quebecois in parliament “while we wait for Quebecois to choose another path”, where Quebecois might be “partners, but equals, and free”.
On the other hand, the far right party, the People’s Party of Canada tanked and its leader, former Conservative MP Maxime Bernier, seemed to adopt the tone and substance of Trumpian nativism, decrying multiculturalism and promising to decrease immigration. Formed just over a year ago, the PPC ran a nearly full slate of candidates, yet failed to win a single seat.
BREAK DOWN OF NIAGARA REGION:
Here’s how the vote broke down in the Niagara region.
St. Catharines
The riding of St. Catharines has flipped back and forth between the Liberals and Conservatives over the years. Liberal incumbent Chris Bittle succeeded in keeping the riding red.
With 209 of 213 polls reported, Bittle was re-elected with 39.9 per cent of votes as of 1:40 a.m on Tuesday. The Conservative candidate, Krystina Waler, received 31.6 per cent of the votes.
Niagara Centre
And in Niagara Centre, Liberal incumbent Vance Badawey held on to the riding. His victory meant the defeat of the NDP’s Malcolm Allen, who represented the riding before Badawey from 2008 – 2011, and 2011-2015. But it was the Conservative Candidate, April Jeffs, who was close behind.
With 206 of 210 poll reported, Badawey was re-elected with 35 per cent per cent of votes, while Jeffs had received 31.2 per cent as of 1:40 a.m on Tuesday.
Niagara Falls
Over in the Niagara Falls riding, which covers Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie, there was no incumbent running. But despite former Conservative MP Rob Nicholson choosing not to run, Conservative candidate Tony Baldinelli was still able to keep the riding blue.
With 238 of 240 polls reported, Baldinelli received 35.6 per cent of votes, as compared to Liberal candidate Andrea Kaiser who received 32.4 per cent as of 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday.
Niagara West
And in Niagara West — a riding that covers Grimsby, Lincoln and West Lincoln, Pelham, Wainfleet and part of St. Catharines — Conservative incumbent Dean Allison was elected once more. Allison has been re-elected since 2004, when he first represented the riding when it was formerly known as Niagara West-Glanbrook.
With 195 of 197 polls reporting, Allison was re-elected with 45.5 per cent of the vote. The Liberal candidate, Ian Bingham received 32.2 per cent of votes as of 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday.
For Full 2019 Election Results, visit the ELECTIONS CANADA WEBSITE HERE.
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