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Canada Election 2019

Voter turnout in 2019 dropped both locally and across Canada

Voter turnout dips all over

The turnout for Monday's election was lower than in 2015, both locally and across the country.

When Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party took a majority government four years ago, 68.3 per cent of registered voters showed up to the polls, the highest percentage since Jean Chretien was elected in 1993. This time around, that number dipped slightly to about 66 per cent, although all 2019 figures do not yet take into account voters who registered on election day.

Turnout numbers also dropped across all five ridings in the Thompson-Okanagan. In Kelowna-Lake Country, where Conservative Tracy Gray ousted Liberal incumbent Stephen Fuhr by more than 8,800 votes, 67.87 per cent of registered voters made it to the polls, a drop of almost 2.8 per cent compared to 2015.

The bordering riding of Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola, where Conservative Dan Albas comfortably secured a third term, saw 67.25 per cent voter turnout, dropping from 70.96 per cent last time around.

The NDP's Richard Cannings narrowly squeaked out a second term in the South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding, where 67.72 per cent of voters made it out, a significant drop of almost five per cent from 2015.

The North Okanagan-Shuswap saw a more than three per cent dip in turnout, where Conservative Mel Arnold secured a second term, while the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding, where Conservative Cathy Mcleod won a seat, saw a more than 3.5 per cent drop in turnout.

This trend was also seen across B.C. While 70 per cent of voters showed up in the province last election, that number fell to just over 65 per cent this time around.

The highest voter turnout in Canadian election history came in 1958, when 79.4 per cent of voters showed up to elect John Diefenbaker, giving his Progressive Conservatives the largest majority government in the nation's history.



Elementary & high school students have an election of their own

Young students hold vote

Over a million elementary and high school students took part in Student Vote Canada 2019, a mock vote about the federal election.

Students from across the country cast their ballot for the riding where their school is after learning about the issues and platforms for each party.

The Liberal party won 110 seats, forming a minority government.

The NDP is the official opposition with 99 seats.

The Conservatives won 94 seats, the Greens 28 and the Bloc won 9.

The popular vote tells a bit of a different story, and it was as follows:

  • Conservative: 25.1%
  • NDP: 24.8%
  • Liberal: 22.3%
  • Green: 18.2%
  • Bloc Québecois: 1.3%

Student Vote Canada had 7,855 schools participating, with results from 338 ridings.



NDP's Richard Cannings wins in South Okanagan-West Kootenay

B.C. Interior's only non-Tory

UPDATE 11:40 p.m.

NDP incumbent Richard Cannings has won re-election in the South Okanagan-West Kootenay, making him the only non-Conservative MP in the B.C. Interior. 

In an extremely close race, Cannings was elected with 36.4 per cent of the vote over Conservative challenger Helena Konanz at 35.3 percent with 275 of 280 polls reporting.

“It feels good. These are long campaigns, they are hard, and you never know what’s going to happen until the night of the election,” Cannings told reporters at a wrap-up party at the Penticton Lakeside Resort.

His campaign received a boost Saturday from a last-minute rally hosted by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. Cannings credited Singh for “lifting the whole campaign for the last month or two.”

Across town at the Penticton Golf and Country Club, a defeated Konanz was emotional as she addressed supporters. 

“I want all of you to feel proud, I want you all to feel proud about what we did, and the next time, it’s going to happen,” she said.

Konanz worked hard during her campaign, first announcing her intentions to run federally back in June 2018 and has been knocking on doors since — something Cannings acknowledged in his remarks to reporters. 

“We worked hard and did everything we could. Obviously, it wasn’t enough, but I’m so proud of these people, they all believe in what they are doing,” Konanz said, referring to her volunteers.

The former Penticton city councillor could not say if she is done with politics and congratulated Cannings on his win. 

“I know he cares a lot about the community and a lot about the riding. He obviously fought a harder, better battle. I’m not sure how it worked out the way it did, but it did, and I congratulate him.”

Liberal candidate Connie Denesiuk secured 17.2 per cent of the vote in her second attempt running under the Liberal banner in the riding. 

She told supporters gathered at her campaign offices on Main Street the campaign they ran “left a legacy.”

“We elevated the dialogue. It wasn’t about ideology, what we talked about was evidence, research and science,” she said. “We ran a very clean campaign... We didn’t fall into what some have done and the negative politics… we kept it high road.”

Denesiuk said she’s happy to see “a progressive voice” like Cannings headed to Ottawa to represent the riding. 

Nationally, the NDP slid from 44 seats to 24 due to a resurgent Bloc Quebecois. 

Cannings told reporters he believes the NDP remains in a strong position.

“Naturally I would have liked to have twice as many seats, but we are in a very good position to carry forward our commitment to Canadians on affordable housing, on pharmacare and climate action. We are obviously in a minority government situation and I think we hold a good position in that Parliament.”

Cannings chalked up his victory to a “positive message.”

“We talked to most of the people about things that they cared about. On affordable housing, on climate action, on healthcare,” he said.


UPDATE 9:50 p.m.

NDP incumbent Richard Cannings held a lead, albeit a slim one, all night.

Cannings has earned his second term to represent the South Okanagan-West Kootenay, narrowly edging out former Penticton city councillor Helena Konanz.

With 225 of 280 polls reporting Cannings had 37.2 per cent of the vote, ahead of Konanz at 33.8 per cent. Those figures should float around as the final votes are tallied this evening.

The narrow margin was expected by most, as shown by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh’s visit to Penticton Saturday just two days before the election.

The South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding spans Penticton to the U.S. border and east to Trail and Castlegar. Cannings will be the only non-Torie MP in the entire B.C. Southern Interior.

Konanz worked very hard in her campaign, getting started early, declaring her intention to run federally back in June 2018.

Liberal candidate Connie Denesiuk finished in third place, conceding at her campaign offices, speaking to volunteers.

“We are all celebrating tonight, disappointed in some ways, but celebrating that Canadians have chosen forward," she said, of the Liberal minority government.

She said she had spoken to Cannings to congratulate him on the win, saying she is happy "a progressive voice" will represent the region.

Cannings is addressing supporters now. Reporters are awaiting comment from Konanz. More to come. 


ORIGINAL 9:45 p.m.

Richard Cannings has retained the only seat for the NDP in the Okanagan.

Canning's race in South Okanagan-West Kootenay was by far the closest in the Thompson-Okanagan, decided by less than 2,000 votes.

Conservative Helena Konanz kept it interesting all night, and the Liberals' Connie Denesiuk was a distant third.

We'll have more from Colin Dacre and Chelsea Powrie in Penticton.



Tracy Gray returns Kelowna-Lake Country to Conservatives

Gray turns Kelowna blue

Tracy Gray greeted her supporters at the Ramada Hotel after winning the Kelowna-Lake Country riding Monday night.

"I'm really happy to be here and I'm happy to have earned the support and the confidence of the people here," said Gray.

Many of the issues Gray hopes to tackle first include protecting the B.C. lakes, improving mental health and addiction services and focusing on affordability for all.

"We know that it's all about making a difference for people so as many of you know I've been meeting with business owners, farmers, service groups and seniors homes," said Gray.

"At the end of our campaign collectively we have knocked on more than 54,000 doors together."


ORIGINAL: 9:12 p.m.

Kelowna-Lake Country has returned to Tory blue.

Challenger Tracy Gray, a former Kelowna city councillor, has unseated Liberal MP Stephen Fuhr.

Fuhr stole the seat away from the Tories in the 2015 Trudeau wave that saw the Liberals elected to power.

We'll have more to come from Castanet's Miriam Halpenny at the Gray campaign headquarters.



Four of five Thompson-Okanagan ridings elect Conservatives

Blue wave across Valley

UPDATE: 9:55 p.m.

A blue wave rolled across almost all the Thompson-Okanagan Monday night.

Four of five ridings in the region elected Conservative MPs, the lone exception being South Okanagan-West Kootenay, where incumbent Richard Cannings retained his seat for the NDP.

Elsewhere across the valley, it was a Tory sweep.

Tracy Gray won back Kelowna-Lake Country for the Conservatives from Liberal incumbent Stephen Fuhr.

Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola returned the Tories' Dan Albas for another term.

In North Okanagan-Shuswap, the Tories' Mel Arnold was returned for a second term, while in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, Cathy Mcleod was victorious under the Conservative banner.


ORIGINAL: 8:20 p.m.

Conservative candidates are leading in four of the five Thompson-Okanagan ridings as early results come in.

In Kelowna-Lake Country, Conservative Tracy Gray is leading over incumbent Stephen Fuhr.

Across the lake in Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola, Tory incumbent Dan Albas is handily leading all challengers.

In the North Okanagan, incumbent Mel Arnold also leads for the Conservatives. Liberal candidate Cindy Derkaz is the closest challenger in the early going.

The Tories' Cathy McLeod is leading over Liberal and former B.C. cabinet minister Terry Lake in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.

The only riding in the region not leaning blue so far is South Okanagan-West Kootenay, where incumbent Richard Cannings leads in a tight race with Conservative challenger Helena Konanz.



Tories' Scheer says minority puts Liberals on notice

Trudeau returned to power

UPDATE: 10:30 p.m.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says the re-elected Liberal government will always put the country and its people at the heart of every decision.

Speaking to supporters in Montreal, Trudeau says Canadians voted for a progressive agenda and strong action on climate change, and is promising to deliver on that.

He also delivered a message to voters who didn't back the Liberals, promising to govern on behalf of all Canadians, including Albertans — who didn't elect a single Liberal MP.

The Liberals won 156 seats, as of early Tuesday, with just under 33 per cent of the popular vote, with the Conservatives as the Opposition with 122 seats but 34.5 per cent of the popular vote.

Speaking in Regina, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says he congratulated Trudeau in a phone call.

Scheer told supporters that the strength of Canada's democracy is not only measured by the ballots Canadians cast, but also how the country moves forward after they are counted.

But he said the election results show Conservatives have put Trudeau on notice that the Tories are ready to govern when the Liberal government falls.


UPDATE: 10:18 p.m.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is vowing his party will play a constructive role in the new Parliament that Canadians have chosen, saying he delivered the message to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau in a phone call tonight.

In a speech that touches on many of the issues and promises he raised during the 40-day campaign, Singh also talks about Grassy Narrows First Nations as an example of the work the federal government still must do on Indigenous issues.

His party has won 25 seats in the election, fewer than the 39 they had going into the election and falling to fourth place in the House of Commons behind the Liberals, Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois.

Singh says the results were not what the party wanted in Quebec, with the NDP keeping only one seat in the province, but Singh promises not to abandon the province or its people.

He says no matter what, the real winner in this election "will be the people."


UPDATE: 9:30 p.m.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Jody Wilson-Raybould has been successful in her bid to get re-elected as an Independent candidate.

Wilson-Raybould quit Justin Trudeau's cabinet after she accused the prime minister and his office of inappropriately pressuring her as the attorney general to intervene in the criminal prosecution of Quebec engineering giant SNC-Lavalin on corruption charges.

The Canadian Press is projecting that Wilson-Raybould will win her seat of Vancouver Granville.

Wilson-Raybould's decision to leave cabinet was followed by her colleague Jane Philpott, who failed in her attempt to win as an Independent in the Ontario riding of Markham-Stouffville.

Trudeau eventually kicked both women out of the Liberal caucus and many of their supporters saw it as vindication when the federal ethics commissioner concluded that Trudeau violated the Conflict of Interest Act by improperly pressuring Wilson-Raybould to stop the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin.


UPDATE: 9:22 p.m.

It's Tuesday morning in much of Canada, but in the West it is still Monday night — and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has won re-election in his B.C. seat.

Singh is projected to be re-elected in Burnaby South, with his party leading or elected in 24 seats, which would be a decline from the 39 seats the party held when Parliament was dissolved for the election campaign.

The electoral map is now coming into closer focus with a Conservative sweep of Saskatchewan, including leader Andrew Scheer's re-election, and a near sweep in Alberta as part of the 121 ridings they are leading in or have been elected.

The Liberals are leading or have captured 157 seats nationwide, many of them in Ontario, Quebec and in Atlantic Canada.

In B.C., Liberal Terry Beech is projected to hold his Vancouver-area riding of Burnaby North-Seymour where the government's purchase and support of the Trans Mountain pipeline project was controversial.

The Greens will have three seats in the House of Commons, as Paul Manly is projected to keep his B.C. seat in Nanaimo-Ladysmith.


UPDATE: 8:45 p.m.

Elizabeth May has romped to victory in her B.C. riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands.

Her return to the House of Commons gives the Greens two seats, and a shot at retaining one more on Vancouver Island once the votes are all counted.

But former Liberal cabinet minister Jane Philpott is projected to lose her seat in Markham-Stouffville to Liberal Helena Jaczek.

Philpott looked to hold the seat as an Independent after she was turfed from the Liberal caucus following her resignation from cabinet and public criticism of Justin Trudeau over the SNC-Lavalin scandal.

The other key cabinet player in the affair, former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, is in a tight three-way race in her Vancouver riding.

The Canadian Press also projects that Liberal cabinet minister Jean-Yves Duclos will be re-elected in his Quebec City riding.


UPDATE: 8:40 p.m.

The Canadian Press projects that Liberals Chrystia Freeland will be re-elected in her Toronto riding of University-Rosedale, Bill Morneau in Toronto Centre, and Marc Garneau in the Montreal riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Westmount.

However, the Liberals look as though they have been completely shut out of Alberta, with all but one riding going to the Conservatives.

Heather McPherson will likely hold Edmonton Strathcona for the New Democrats.

Results in Quebec, which continue to pour in, suggest that Alexandre Boulerice will be the only New Democrat left standing in the province.


UPDATE: 8:10 pm.

Longtime Liberal MP Ralph Goodale has gone down to defeat in his riding in Saskatchewan.

Goodale, 70, lost his seat to Conservative Michael Kram.


UPDATE: 8:05 p.m.

The Canadian Press is projecting that People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier has lost his seat in Beauce, the only one his upstart party had going into the election.

Bernier had handily won the riding in 2015 and had held the seat since 2006, but split from the Conservatives after losing the party leadership to Andrew Scheer.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, on the other hand, is going back to House of Commons after handily winning his home riding of Papineau.

The Canadian Press is also projecting Liberal cabinet ministers Navdeep Bains to win in his Toronto-area riding, Patty Hajdu in Thunder Bay, Catherine McKenna in Ottawa and Maryam Monsef in Peterborough.

The Canadian Press also projects that Liberal cabinet minister Amarjeet Sohi will lose his Edmonton seat to former Conservative MP Tim Uppal, while one-time Liberal cabinet minister Kent Hehr will lose his Calgary seat.

And The Canadian Press projects that Adam van Koeverden will be elected in the Ontario riding of Milton, defeating longtime Conservative MP Lisa Raitt.

Meanwhile, in Burnaby, B.C., the mood is sombre among supporters entering the ballroom at NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's election night party, where campaign staffers — hoping for a bigger breakthrough — are anxiously looking at TV screens and their smartphones.


UPDATE: 7:35 p.m.

Six Conservatives are heading back to the House of Commons as results begin to pour in from Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Luc Berthold is projected to win Megantic-L'Erable in Quebec, Diane Finley will return to represent Haldimand-Norfolk in Ontario, Candice Bergen in the Manitoba riding of Portage-Lisgar, and James Bezan in the Saskatchewan riding of Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman.

In Alberta, Glen Motz is projected to win in Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner, and John Barlow in Foothills.

The Canadian Press also projects that Pat Finnigan will win the New Brunswick riding of Miramichi-Grand Lake, and Eric Duncan has won the Ontario riding of Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry to keep the riding Conservative.

Meanwhile, things have turned sour for People's Party Leader Maxime Bernier, who has fallen behind Conservative Richard Lehoux by less than 200 votes.


UPDATE: 7:10 p.m.

Justin Trudeau's Liberals are off to a relatively strong start as election results roll in across the country, with the last polls in British Columbia just closed.

The Liberals are showing strength in Quebec and Ontario. In Quebec, the Liberals are leading in 21 ridings, just ahead of the Bloc Quebecois with 18. The Conservatives are leading in five and the NDP in just one.

And in Ontario, the Liberals are leading in 41 ridings, to the Conservatives' 29 and NDP's five.

The Liberals also dominated early returns in Atlantic Canada but the real test of whether Trudeau can win re-election will be in Ontario and Quebec, with B.C. possibly determining whether it's a minority or a majority.


UPDATE: 6:45 p.m.

The Liberals are dominating early returns in Atlantic Canada but the real test of whether Justin Trudeau can win re-election is about to take place as polls close in the rest of the country, except British Columbia.

Ontario and Quebec, which account for almost 60 per cent of the 338 seats up for grabs tonight, will likely decide whether the Liberals or Conservatives form government; B.C., where polls close in about 30 minutes, could well determine if it's a majority or minority.

While the Liberals got off to a good start in the four Atlantic provinces, it's not quite the sweep that painted the entire region red in 2015.

The Liberals had never expected to repeat their 2015 sweep of Atlantic Canada. But they can't afford to sustain many losses and hold onto power.

Polls have suggested that the Liberals and Andrew Scheer's Conservatives finished the 40-day campaign in a dead heat, with neither in position to win a majority of seats in the House of Commons.


UPDATE: 6:20 p.m.

Another of Justin Trudeau's cabinet ministers is going back to the House of Commons, and another former Conservative MP will join her.

The Canadian Press projects that Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor has won her New Brunswick riding of Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe.

Joining her will be Rene Arseneault, Wayne Long and Andy Fillmore who, respectively, kept the ridings of Saint John-Rothesay and Madawaska-Restigouche in New Brunswick, and Halifax in Nova Scotia painted Liberal red for another election.

But Rob Moore has painted Fundy Royal a Conservative blue, winning back the seat he lost in 2015 to Liberal Alaina Lockhart in a race that was expected to be close.

Meanwhile, the Greens are seeing themselves on the electoral board, leading as the votes are counted in the riding of Fredericton.

Green candidate Jenica Atwin is currently leading a tight three-way race with Conservative Andrea Johnson and Liberal incumbent Matt DeCourcey.


UPDATE: 6 p.m.

The new political makeup of Atlantic Canada is coming into sharper focus: dominated by Liberals, but not as completely as it was after the 2015 election.

The Canadian Press projects Liberal Darrell Samson has won re-election in the Nova Scotia riding of Sackville-Preston-Chezzetcook, cabinet minister Bernadette Jordan will represent South Shore-St. Margarets again, and Darren Fisher has been re-elected in Dartmouth-Cole Harbour.

The Liberal party has also held on to nearby Kings-Hants, with Kody Blois winning the seat vacated by former cabinet minister Scott Brison, and Cape Breton-Canso, which Mike Kelloway will represent after longtime MP Rodger Cuzner opted to retire.

The Conservatives have also captured another seat, with Chris d'Entremont elected in West Nova.

On the other side of the country, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh appeared happy and upbeat while watching results with supporters and his wife, Gurkiran Kaur, in a Burnaby hotel room.

Meanwhile in Montreal, journalists and camera operators rimmed the event space at the convention centre in the city’s old quarter, perched on risers under Liberal-red lights.

A pair of jumbo screens flashed photos — each one speckled with animated stars — of Trudeau on the campaign trail taking selfies with supporters, attending a Yom Kippur ceremony and consulting backstage with his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau.


UPDATE: 5:40 p.m.

The Speaker of the House of Commons is going to get another shot at the job of being referee of all MPs.

The Canadian Press projects that Geoff Regan will hold his seat in Halifax West, while fellow Nova Scotia Liberal Sean Fraser will hold on to Central Nova.

Liberal Serge Cormier has won the New Brunswick riding of Acadie-Bathurst and Liberal cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc has won Beausejour, again.

Long-time Liberal Lawrence MacAulay is also going back to the House of Commons, keeping his hold on the riding of Cardigan in Prince Edward Island, while Bobby Morrissey is getting a second term as the Liberal MP for nearby Egmont.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have captured their first seats of the night as The Canadian Press projects Richard Bragdon to win in Tobique-Mactaquac in New Brunswick.

Fellow Tory John Williamson is also going back to the House of Commons as the former MP is going to win in New Brunswick Southwest.

The electoral map in Atlantic Canada is seeing a swath of Liberal red over most of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Liberal cabinet minister Seamus O'Regan has recaptured his seat in St. John's South-Mount Pearl.

The Canadian Press projects that New Democrat Jack Harris has recaptured the seat he lost to Nick Whalen in 2015 in St. John's East.

 


UPDATE: 4:40 p.m.

The polls have closed in Atlantic Canada, signalling the start of what promises to be a long night to determine whether Justin Trudeau's Liberals will get a second mandate to govern Canada.

Early results had the Liberals leading in six of the seven ridings in Newfoundland and Labrador, where polls closed half an hour before they did in the rest of the region. The seventh — St. John's East, thought to be the seat in the province where the Liberal incumbent was most vulnerable — had not yet reported any results.

In 2015, the Liberals swept all 32 seats in Atlantic Canada, a feat they're not expected to repeat tonight. But they can't afford to sustain many losses.

Polls have suggested that the Liberals and Andrew Scheer's Conservatives finished the 40-day campaign in a dead heat, with neither in position to win a majority of seats in the House of Commons.

The Liberals appeared to have an edge over the Conservatives in Ontario and Quebec, which account for almost 60 per cent of the 338 seats up for grabs.

Still, an unexpected surge in support for the Bloc Quebecois upended the hopes of both the front-running parties for gains in Quebec.

And a bounce for the NDP after Jagmeet Singh's performance in the leaders' debates ate into Liberal support in Ontario and British Columbia.

The Green Party, which had hoped for a big breakthrough in this election, appeared to stall mid-campaign but is in a battle with the NDP in B.C.


UPDATE: 1:35 p.m.

Steady turnout is reported at polling stations across the Okanagan.

Some polls in Vernon reported lineups as they opened this morning, but by midday, voters were in and out in under five minutes.

Likewise in Kelowna and elsewhere across the valley, turnout was brisk, but lines were manageable, many residents having voted in advance polls, which saw record turnout across the country.

Nationally, many pundits had the race too close to call, and most are expecting a minority government.

The Liberals under Justin Trudeau and Conservatives under Andrew Scheer started the election largely neck-and-neck in opinion polls and, despite their best efforts, neither leader seems to have been able to jump ahead.

Trudeau voted in his Montreal riding of Papineau on Monday after flying back the night before from British Columbia, where he spent the final day of the campaign and which could prove critical to deciding which party gets to form government.

Scheer was scheduled to cast his ballot later in the day in Regina after also spending Sunday in Vancouver and B.C.'s Lower Mainland in the hopes of securing enough seats to knock off the incumbent Liberals.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who will spend the night in his B.C. riding of Burnaby South after voting in last weekend's advance polls.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has overseen a surge in support in la belle province after his party was largely left for dead after abysmal results in 2011 and 2015 followed by years of infighting.

Meanwhile, Green Leader Elizabeth May, who voted in her riding on Vancouver Island on Monday, is hoping her party can capitalize on its recent success in provincial votes and translate that to more seats in the House of Commons.

Maxime Bernier of the upstart People's Party of Canada cast his ballot in his home riding of Beauce, Que.

Meanwhile, Elections Canada confirmed it was investigating reported problems with one poll in the riding of Ottawa West-Nepean, where voters were reportedly turned away because some poll workers were not working when the poll opened.


ORIGINAL: 6:35 a.m.

The campaigning is over and Canadians in some parts of the country have started heading to the polls to cast their ballots in the country's 43rd general election, which some have described as the nastiest campaign in recent history.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer have spent weeks arguing the decision is between which of the two historical governing parties will be in office.

Yet NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has drawn support from progressive voters and the Bloc Quebecois has surged in Quebec, which could scuttle hopes of a majority government and put either party into the position of power-broker in a hung Parliament.

Elizabeth May is hoping her Green party can capitalize on its recent success in provincial votes and translate that to more seats in the House of Commons.

And Maxime Bernier, who has spent much of the campaign trying to protect his own seat in Quebec, will find out whether his upstart People's Party of Canada is a movement or a footnote.

While most voters will cast their ballots today, around 4.7 million Canadians voted in advance polls last weekend, which marked a 29 per cent increase over 2015.

Elections Canada says roughly 27.4 million people are eligible to vote at one of the approximately 20,000 polling places across the country.

Voter turnout in the last election stood at 68.5 per cent, which was the highest since 1993.



Tories' Dan Albas wins in Central-Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola

Albas returned on Westside

Incumbent Dan Albas has been re-elected for the Central-Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola riding.

The Tory MP more than doubled the votes of his closest challenger, Liberal candidate Mary Ann Murphy, as votes continue to be counted.

"I love working as a Member of Parliament and I'm so excited and I am so excited to have another meaning, I love people, I love working on problems, so I'm looking forward to doing the people's work in Ottawa and I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support," said Albas during his speech.

Albas won his third consecutive campaign but knows there's always work to be be done. He is looking forward to heading back to Ottawa for the 43rd parliament to start learning about the concerns of other ridings and working towards a common goal.

"Make sure that I am raising the issues that I've learnt in this election, obviously forestry competitiveness, making sure that people can put food on the tables, make sure the government can get a softwood lumber agreement that it protects," explains Albas.

He continues by saying, "we see important projects like the child advocacy centre in Kelowna, and also the bridge has some suggestions on how Health Canada can fund addictions treatment for minors. These are all incredibly important things and there all the things that I'll be taking forward with me to Ottawa."

He also took the time to thank the Conservative leader Andrew Scheer.

"The one person I have to absolutely single out is Andrew Scheer. Our leader Andrew Scheer has spent the last 40-plus days in addition to all the hard work that he's done as opposition leader sharing a positive vision for Canada and he's increased our popular vote, in fact we're leading on it and we've increased our share of seats in the House of Commons."

Albas believes this is only the beginning for the Conservative party.

"Canadians have had their say. They expected us to obviously be the opposition and we're going to do everything we can to continue to hold this government to account and to make the case for a Conservative government in the future." 

As it became clear Albas was the winner, Murphy’s friends and family gathered at Two Eagles Golf Course lost hope for her victory but remained very proud of what she had achieved, commenting on her courage to step into the political ring and her ability to connect with people from all walks of life. 

Murphy says despite the loss, she is thankful to everyone who helped her campaign.

"I’m feeling excited and elated, as I have been all day. I’m so proud of the effort we put in and I know that I knocked on 10,000 doors myself throughout the riding. I really want to tell everyone out there how appreciative I am for the time that they gave me when they opened the door… It’s been such a privilege to run in this community that I love so much. I’ll be working hard in the future to learn more about all the issues I've about on those doorsteps.

"I don’t think we could have done any more. I’m quite happy about the Liberal win on a federal level. We’re still waiting for a number of polls to come in and numbers could shift slightly, but I want to say congratulations to Dan Albas. He’s run a wonderful campaign. All of us candidates have gotten to know each other quite well because we’ve been at so many debates the past few weeks, so a sincere congratulations to him."



Conservative incumbent wins fourth straight election in Kamloops

Lake no match for McLeod

Throwing a star candidate at the Conservative party was not enough to get the Liberals a victory in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding.

Conservative incumbent Cathy McLeod was well on her way to a convincing victory over Liberal candidate Terry Lake, the former Kamloops mayor and ex-provincial minister who was tasked with taking down the Conservatives.

It did not work, as McLeod won the riding for the fourth consecutive election.

McLeod had more than 42 per cent of the vote with 155 of 283 polls reporting, compared to Lake, who garnered 28.7 per cent of the vote.

McLeod earned only 35 per cent of the vote in 2015, beating New Democrat Bill Sundu, but she picked up a whopping 52 per cent of the popular vote in the riding in 2011.

The 62-year-old McLeod moved to Kamloops in 1999, where she worked as a nurse and a health care administrator.



NDP to hold balance of power despite election losses

Liberal minority on the way

UPDATE: 9:20 p.m.

Justin Trudeau remains prime minister but the Liberals will need the support of at least one party to govern a country that emerged bitterly divided from a bruising 40-day election campaign.

With results still pouring in late Monday, the Liberals had 157 seats — 13 short of the 170 needed for a majority in the 338-seat House of Commons.

A resurgent Bloc Quebecois scooped up 32 seats, dashing Liberal hopes of making gains in Quebec that could have ensured a second consecutive majority mandate.

Despite a strong campaign by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, his party was leading or elected in just 23 seats and nearly wiped out in Quebec, the province that only eight years ago delivered an orange wave that pushed the NDP into official Opposition status for the first — and so far, only— time.

Nevertheless, Monday's result leaves the NDP potentially in the driver's seat, holding the balance of power.

Trudeau, whose Liberals entered the campaign with 177 seats, will need the support of either the NDP or the Bloc to command the confidence of the House of Commons, the first test of which will come within weeks on a throne speech to open a new session of Parliament.

And that could well exacerbate divisions that worsened over the course of the campaign and were apparent in the Liberals' being shut out entirely in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The two oil-producing provinces went solid blue, delivering every seat to the Conservatives.

Indeed, the Conservatives were slightly ahead in the popular vote overall. But with so much of their vote concentrated in the two western provinces, the party fell short of the Liberals' tally, taking just 121 ridings.

Singh has signalled the NDP will fight plans to expand the Trans Mountain Pipeline to carry Alberta oilsands crude to the British Columbia coast, en route to overseas markets. Trudeau's government purchased the pipeline for $4.5 billion to ensure the expansion project would proceed, a decision that cost the Liberals support among progressive voters.

The Liberals owed their lead over the Tories largely to Ontario. The country's largest province delivered 79 seats to the Liberals, compared to 36 for the Conservatives and just six for the NDP.

In Quebec, the Liberals were down to 35 seats, just ahead of the Bloc Quebecois with 32. The Conservatives were leading in 10 and NDP in one.


UPDATE: 7:45 p.m.

Justin Trudeau is expected to remain prime minister but the Liberals may need the support of one or more opposition parties to govern.

The Liberals are elected or leading in 144 ridings across the country — 26 short of the 170 seats needed for a majority in the 338-seat House of Commons.

Andrew Scheer's Conservatives are leading or elected in 105 ridings, while the NDP has 18 and the Greens one.

Some ridings, especially in British Columbia, have yet to report any results and others have reported only a few polls' worth.

But it appears that Trudeau will at least have a shot at a second mandate, with a minority government.

The Liberals are showing strength in the two central Canadians provinces that account for almost 60 per cent of the seats up for grabs.

In Quebec, the Liberals are leading in 34 ridings, just ahead of the Bloc Quebecois with 33. The Conservatives are leading in nine and the NDP in two.

And in Ontario, the Liberals are leading in 41 ridings, to the Conservatives' 29 and NDP's 10.

– The Canadian Press


UPDATE: 7:40 p.m.

The Canadian Press is projecting that the Liberal party will win the most seats in the 2019 federal election, giving them the best chance to form the next government.

Whether Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau wins a majority, however — or can reach an arrangement with another party to sustain a minority government — is yet to be determined. The numbers would appear to imply it will be a minority.

The Liberals left Atlantic Canada with a commanding lead, down just a few seat from their sweep in the region in 2015, and the gains Conservatives made as more westerly votes were counted were not enough to make up the difference.

The New Democrats have been reduced to a rump in Quebec thanks to a resurgent Bloc Quebecois taking back numerous seats from the NDP.

With ballots yet to be counted in many British Columbia ridings, expected to be the Green party's likeliest territory for pickups, the Greens are still enjoying a commanding lead in the New Brunswick riding of Fredericton.

– The Canadian Press


ORIGINAL: 7:25 p.m.

All signs are pointing a Liberal minority government.

Results are yet to come in from B.C., but with the Liberals leading or elected in 149 ridings and the combined opposition totalling 150 seats, it does not appear likely the governing Liberals will retain their majority.

The Conservatives are leading or elected in 102 ridings.

The Bloc Quebecois is making a strong showing in its province with 31 seats.

The NDP currently leads or has sealed 21 seats.

The Greens so far have a single seat, and the fledgling PPC is yet to get on the board.



Wall to wall live election night coverage on Castanet.net

Election coverage - LIVE

Keep it here on Castanet.net this evening for live coverage of the federal election.

We'll have one of the largest teams in the Interior bringing the news to you.

Wayne Moore will anchor our live broadcast, starting at 6:45 p.m. He'll be joined in our Kelowna studio by Coun. Loyal Wooldridge for analysis.

We'll switch live to our journalists in the field – Nich Johansen at the Stephen Fuhr camp, Miriam Halpenny with Tracy Gray, Sarita Patel at the Dan Albas gathering, and Laura Brookes with Mary Ann Murphy.

We'll also be cutting in with live hits from Colin Dacre and Chelsea Powrie in Penticton, and Darren Handschuh and John Lawless in Vernon.

We'll have our entire staff inputting the latest numbers on all the local races, and will be monitoring the national scene, too.

We'll be live until it's all over – so click to Castanet and look no further.

Can't get to your computer or driving and can't check your phone? We'll be live simultaneously on our radio partner SOFT 103.9 with veteran analyst Gord Vizzutti.

Good luck to everyone running!



Elections Canada tips to make voting easy

Election day info to know

Here's what you need to know as Canadians go to the polls in today's federal election:

Elections Canada reminds that voters must cast their ballot at their assigned polling station.

To find out where to vote, check your voter information card, visit elections.ca or call 1-800-463?6868. 

Every poll across the country is open for 12 hours. Voting hours are staggered, so that most results are available around the same time on election night. Polls in B.C. are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

To vote, electors must be registered. Those who are not registered can register at their polling station when they go to vote.

Unregistered electors can enter their information online, print a pre-filled registration certificate, and bring it with them for faster service at the polls. 

Bring your voter information card with you, along with ID, to make the voting process easier. 

You must prove your identity and address.

Preliminary results will be published on elections.ca as soon as they become available, and we'll be live on Castanet as soon as polls close with up to the minute coverage as the numbers come in.



More than 78,000 people have voted in four Okanagan ridings

Record number have voted

Close to 20 per cent of all voters eligible to cast a ballot in the federal election across the Okanagan have already done so.

According to preliminary figures released by Elections Canada, 78,779 ballots were cast in the four ridings encompassing the Okanagan during four days of advance polls over the Thanksgiving long weekend.

That's 19.7 per cent of registered electors and 38 per cent more than the 56,966 who voted in advance polls four years ago.

Officials with Elections Canada downplayed the results somewhat, saying 2019 was the first time advance polls were open for 12 hours throughout the four days.

In 2015, polls were only open for eight hours each day.

Riding-by-riding in the Okanagan, voters in the Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola accounted for the largest percentage, while Kelowna-Lake Country had the lowest percent of votes cast.

Here's the overall breakdown:

Riding Votes Cast Eligible Voters Percentage
South Okanagan-West Kootenay 20,533 98,598 20.8
North Okanagan-Shuswap 20,243 106,601 19
Central Okanagan-Similkamees-Nicola 20,176 94,522 21.3
Kelowna-Lake Country 17,827 99,992 17.8

Nationally, nearly 4.8 million votes were cast, which works out to 17.6 per cent of those eligible.

Polls open for general voting Monday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Eligible voters must vote at the polling station indicated on the registration card received earlier this month from Elections Canada.

You must bring picture ID and proof of address.

Castanet will have live coverage of the 45th federal election as soon as the polls close.



More Federal Election 2019 News



230766


Candidates

Kelowna - Lake Country
Central Okanagan - Similkameen - Nicola
North Okanagan - Shuswap
South Okanagan - West Kootenay
Kamloops - Thompson - Cariboo





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