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| Justin Trudeau elected new Canadian prime minister as Liberals sweep board | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Justin Trudeau, the son of one of Canada’s most charismatic politicians, will be Canada’s next leader, after a dramatic federal election in which the prime minister, Stephen Harper, lost his parliamentary majority and nine years of often-unpopular rule by the centre-right Conservatives came to an end. | Justin Trudeau, the son of one of Canada’s most charismatic politicians, will be Canada’s next leader, after a dramatic federal election in which the prime minister, Stephen Harper, lost his parliamentary majority and nine years of often-unpopular rule by the centre-right Conservatives came to an end. |
| Related: Canada election: Trudeau's Liberals set to defeat Harper and Conservatives – live | Related: Canada election: Trudeau's Liberals set to defeat Harper and Conservatives – live |
| Polls had only just closed in Ontario and Quebec when the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation called the election for Trudeau, based on a near-wholesale collapse of support for the left-wing New Democratic party (NDP), as well as a powerful Liberal surge. | Polls had only just closed in Ontario and Quebec when the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation called the election for Trudeau, based on a near-wholesale collapse of support for the left-wing New Democratic party (NDP), as well as a powerful Liberal surge. |
| Speaking at Liberal headquarters in Montreal, Trudeau said: “This is what positive politics can do. This is what a positive, hopeful, a hopeful vision, and a platform and a team together can make happen. | Speaking at Liberal headquarters in Montreal, Trudeau said: “This is what positive politics can do. This is what a positive, hopeful, a hopeful vision, and a platform and a team together can make happen. |
| “Canadians from all across this great country sent a clear message tonight, it’s time for a change in this country, my friends, a real change,” he told supporters. | “Canadians from all across this great country sent a clear message tonight, it’s time for a change in this country, my friends, a real change,” he told supporters. |
| In his concession speech before a despondent Calgary crowd Monday night Harper did not formally announce his resignation, instead focussing on thanking his supporters. | In his concession speech before a despondent Calgary crowd Monday night Harper did not formally announce his resignation, instead focussing on thanking his supporters. |
| “We put it all on the line, we gave everything we have to give, and we have no regrets whatsover,” he said, adding “the disappointment you feel is my responsibility and mine alone.” | “We put it all on the line, we gave everything we have to give, and we have no regrets whatsover,” he said, adding “the disappointment you feel is my responsibility and mine alone.” |
| However, in an email to reporters, the Conservative Party announced that they would be seeking an interim leader in the coming days. | However, in an email to reporters, the Conservative Party announced that they would be seeking an interim leader in the coming days. |
| The scale of the Liberals’ dual victory – over the Conservatives and the NDP – remained unclear. But Trudeau will be the next prime minister of Canada, with a parliamentary majority. The question now is how strong his majority will be. | The scale of the Liberals’ dual victory – over the Conservatives and the NDP – remained unclear. But Trudeau will be the next prime minister of Canada, with a parliamentary majority. The question now is how strong his majority will be. |
| Peter MacKay, a former senior Conservative cabinet minister, described the result as a “sea change”. | Peter MacKay, a former senior Conservative cabinet minister, described the result as a “sea change”. |
| “We are used to high tides in Atlantic Canada. This is not what we hoped for,” he said, shortly after polls closed in the Atlantic Canada region. | “We are used to high tides in Atlantic Canada. This is not what we hoped for,” he said, shortly after polls closed in the Atlantic Canada region. |
| The Conservative casualties of the night included a string of former high-profile cabinet ministers. In the key Greater Toronto suburb of Ajax, former Liberal MP Mark Holland stormed back to re-take his seat from the Conservative immigration minister and former Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan Chris Alexander. | The Conservative casualties of the night included a string of former high-profile cabinet ministers. In the key Greater Toronto suburb of Ajax, former Liberal MP Mark Holland stormed back to re-take his seat from the Conservative immigration minister and former Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan Chris Alexander. |
| Ajax had been thought to be close, but with some ballots still uncounted, it lseemed that Holland had established a lead of almost 30 percentage points. | Ajax had been thought to be close, but with some ballots still uncounted, it lseemed that Holland had established a lead of almost 30 percentage points. |
| Ajax was representative of a Liberal sweep of the Greater Toronto Area, the populous and vote-rich area around Canada’s largest city, many of these ridings which the Conservatives had won big in back in 2011. | Ajax was representative of a Liberal sweep of the Greater Toronto Area, the populous and vote-rich area around Canada’s largest city, many of these ridings which the Conservatives had won big in back in 2011. |
| But if the Liberals’ trouncing of the Conservatives in was a surprise, it was dwarfed by the absolute collapse of Tom Mulcair’s New Democratic Party, who went from second place - the official party of opposition - to a distant third, dropping from 95 seats at the beginning of the campaign to a dismal projection of just 36. | But if the Liberals’ trouncing of the Conservatives in was a surprise, it was dwarfed by the absolute collapse of Tom Mulcair’s New Democratic Party, who went from second place - the official party of opposition - to a distant third, dropping from 95 seats at the beginning of the campaign to a dismal projection of just 36. |
| In seats like Spadina/Fort York, close to downtown Toronto, the NDP candidate Olivia Chow – the widow of the party’s popular former leader Jack Layton – appeared on track to be flattened by the Liberals’ Adam Vaughan by more than 30 percentage points. | In seats like Spadina/Fort York, close to downtown Toronto, the NDP candidate Olivia Chow – the widow of the party’s popular former leader Jack Layton – appeared on track to be flattened by the Liberals’ Adam Vaughan by more than 30 percentage points. |
| Peggy Nash, the NDP’s industry critic (shadow minister) and former party president, lost her seat as did the party’s deputy leader, Morgan Leslie. | Peggy Nash, the NDP’s industry critic (shadow minister) and former party president, lost her seat as did the party’s deputy leader, Morgan Leslie. |
| The extraordinary result follows the longest – and possibly the most divisive – campaign in Canadian history. | The extraordinary result follows the longest – and possibly the most divisive – campaign in Canadian history. |
| When it began in August, Harper set out to campaign on security and the economy, but quickly had to meet an early challenge from the NDP, which was riding high from a surprise upset in the Alberta provincial elections in May. | When it began in August, Harper set out to campaign on security and the economy, but quickly had to meet an early challenge from the NDP, which was riding high from a surprise upset in the Alberta provincial elections in May. |
| But Harper’s use in his campaign of the issue of the niqab, which became one of the season’s highest-profile talking points, may have cost the NDP their lead after Tom Mulcair refused to compromise his position. The wind left the NDP’s sails toward the end of September, and the party seems set to be all but wiped out as the results come in. | But Harper’s use in his campaign of the issue of the niqab, which became one of the season’s highest-profile talking points, may have cost the NDP their lead after Tom Mulcair refused to compromise his position. The wind left the NDP’s sails toward the end of September, and the party seems set to be all but wiped out as the results come in. |
| In the meantime, Trudeau’s Liberal party began surging past the Conservatives in national poll averages at the beginning of October, and continued its steady climb since then. | In the meantime, Trudeau’s Liberal party began surging past the Conservatives in national poll averages at the beginning of October, and continued its steady climb since then. |
| Related: Justin Trudeau: who is Canada's new prime minister? | Related: Justin Trudeau: who is Canada's new prime minister? |
| In what some saw as a last-ditch move to energise his base in suburban Toronto, Harper made his final pitch on Saturday night to the former crack-smoking mayor Rob Ford, Ford’s brother Doug and their supporters – the so-called “Ford Nation.” His speech concentrated on attacking Trudeau and the Liberal party on the economy, and played on the theme of risk. | In what some saw as a last-ditch move to energise his base in suburban Toronto, Harper made his final pitch on Saturday night to the former crack-smoking mayor Rob Ford, Ford’s brother Doug and their supporters – the so-called “Ford Nation.” His speech concentrated on attacking Trudeau and the Liberal party on the economy, and played on the theme of risk. |
| But as results began to come in from Atlantic Canada – which saw a near-clean sweep by the Liberals, toppling, among other Conservative MPs, minister for fisheries Gail Shea – it became clear Harper had been unsuccessful this time. | But as results began to come in from Atlantic Canada – which saw a near-clean sweep by the Liberals, toppling, among other Conservative MPs, minister for fisheries Gail Shea – it became clear Harper had been unsuccessful this time. |
| Trudeau, a 43-year-old former school teacher and member of Parliament since 2008, is the son of the late former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. He will become the second-youngest prime minister in Canadian history. | Trudeau, a 43-year-old former school teacher and member of Parliament since 2008, is the son of the late former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. He will become the second-youngest prime minister in Canadian history. |