The latest on results and developments in Canada’s 44th general election

OTTAWA — The latest on developments and results in the federal election. All times are eastern.

11:55 p.m.

The Canadian Press is projecting that Liberal Anthony Rota will win his northern Ontario riding of Nipissing-Timiskaming.

Rota has contested the seat since the 2004 federal election, losing only once in 2011.

Since 2019, Rota has also served as Speaker of the House of Commons, taking over the job just ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He had to oversee the Commons move to more virtual sittings with MPs connecting remotely rather than in-person, as well as electronic voting.

If he wants to keep the job, he’ll have to earn the votes of his fellow MPs.

The first act of newly elected and re-elected MPs upon their return to the House of Commons is to elect a Speaker by secret ballot.

Former environment minister Jonathan Wilkinson has held on to his seat in the B.C. riding of North Vancouver. 

Wilkinson, who was first elected in 2015, says the major priority for a Liberal government is increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates. 

He says the fight against climate change would have been in peril if the Conservatives had won.

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11:40 p.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s No. 2 is heading back to the House of Commons.

The Canadian Press is projecting that Chrystia Freeland has won re-election in her downtown Toronto riding of University-Rosedale.

The deputy prime minister and finance minister will now have a chance to keep building a national child-care system announced in her April budget.

She is among a slew of cabinet ministers who have won re-election.

Also projected to win tonight is Jean-Yves Duclos in the riding of Quebec, Melanie Joly in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, David Lametti in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, and Harjit Sajjan in Vancouver South.

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11:35 p.m.

Nunavut NDP candidate Lori Idlout says she is excited and nervous as she and about a dozen supporters gather for an election night viewing party at the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre in Iqaluit.

The Iqaluit lawyer is hoping to keep Nunavut orange after NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq said she wouldn’t run again.

Liberal candidate Pat Angnakak is watching the results roll in with family and friends at the Aqsarniit hotel in Iqaluit, while Conservative candidate Laura MacKenzie is watching from her hometown in Rankin Inlet.

With just under half of polls reporting, Idlout is holding a slim lead.

Overall, the New Democrats are leading or elected in 29 ridings nationally.

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11:25 p.m. 

The Canadian Press is projecting that Green Party Leader Annamie Paul has lost in the Ontario riding of Toronto Centre.

This was her third time seeking the downtown Toronto seat, considered a Liberal stronghold.

She lost to former Liberal finance minister Bill Morneau in the 2019 federal election.

She also ran unsuccessfully in an October 2020 byelection, losing to Liberal Marci Ien, who was re-elected tonight.

That contest took place about three weeks after Paul won the Green Party leadership race.

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11:15 p.m.

The Canadian Press is projecting the Liberals have won enough seats to stay in power with a minority government.

That will mean Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won’t get the majority mandate he hoped for when he called the election on Aug. 15.

Trudeau will need the support of at least one other party to maintain a minority government.

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11:20 p.m.

Another of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s key cabinet ministers has won re-election.

The Canadian Press projects that Anita Anand will be re-elected in her riding of Oakville in the Greater Toronto Area.

Anand was a rookie MP after winning in 2019 when she was appointed to be minister of procurement.

She quickly became in charge of the country’s efforts to secure COVID-19 vaccines, and was often on the campaign trail with Trudeau.

The Liberals are also expected to hold on to Ottawa Centre.

Yasir Naqvi, a former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister, will keep the riding red and is taking over from Catherine McKenna, who retired from politics ahead of the election.

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11 p.m. 

The Canadian Press is projecting that Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has been re-elected in the Ontario riding of Durham.

O’Toole has represented the Greater Toronto Area riding since he was first elected in a November 2012 byelection.

It also looks like another Liberal cabinet minister will lose their seat tonight.

The Canadian Press is projecting that Conservative Michelle Ferreri will win the riding of Peterborough-Kawartha.

She defeats Liberal cabinet minister Maryam Monsef, who had represented the riding since 2015.

Monsef has recently served as Status of Women minister and as minister of rural economic development.

What makes the result special is that Peterborough-Kawartha is a noted bellwether riding that is rarely won by an opposition party. 

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10:55 p.m.

The Canadian Press is projecting that Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has been re-elected in the Montreal riding of Papineau.

Trudeau has represented Papineau in the House of Commons since 2008.

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10:55 p.m.

A former Conservative leader, and candidate for the leadership, have both been elected.

The Canadian Press is projecting that Andrew Scheer will be re-elected in the Saskatchewan riding of Regina-Qu’Appelle.

Scheer led the party into the 2019 election, only to win the popular vote but fall short of knocking the Trudeau Liberals into the opposition benches.

He stepped down, and Erin O’Toole won a subsequent race to replace Scheer.

One of the challengers for the leaders, Leslyn Lewis, is projected to win in the Ontario riding Haldimand-Norfolk left vacant by the retirement of Diane Finley.

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10:45 p.m.

The Canadian Press is projecting that People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier has lost his bid to get elected in the Quebec riding of Beauce.

Bernier previously represented the riding south of Quebec City from 2006 to 2019.

He was a cabinet minister in the Conservative government of former prime minister Stephen Harper, where his portfolios included industry and foreign affairs.

He ran for the Conservative leadership in 2017, placing second to former leader Andrew Scheer.

He left the Conservative party in August 2018 to serve as an Independent MP and then launched the People’s Party of Canada the next month.

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10:45 p.m.

The Canadian Press is projecting that Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet has been re-elected in the Quebec riding of Beloeil—Chambly.

Blanchet has represented the riding south of Montreal since he was elected in the 2019 federal election.

The Bloc are leading or elected in 29 ridings in Quebec. 

Blanchet is hoping his party can ride a late wave of support after he bristled at a question about Quebec’s controversial secularism law, known as Bill 21, during the English-language leaders debate. 

He has said he’s willing to work with a minority government because he doesn’t want to plunge the country into another election any time soon.

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10:40 p.m.

The Canadian Press is projecting that the Liberal party will win the most seats in the 2021 federal election, giving them the best chance to form the next government.

It is not yet clear whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will win a majority, or need the support of at least one other party to remain in power with a minority government.

Trudeau called the election on Aug. 15, pulling the plug on his minority government almost two years removed from an election.

It was seen as a gamble to garner a majority that Trudeau pushed for along the campaign trail.

The Liberals would need to win 170 seats in the 338-seat House of Commons to have a majority.

Meanwhile, The Canadian Press is projecting that Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet will hold his seat of Beloeil-Chambly.

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10:25 p.m.

The dean of the House of Commons looks like he’ll hold on to that title.

The Canadian Press projects that Bloc MP Louis Plamondon will win the Quebec riding of Bécancour-Nicolet-Saurel.

Plamondon is the longest serving MP, having first been elected to the House of Commons in 1984.

A win in this election makes it 12 consecutive elections that Plamondon has been elected.

The dean of the House of Commons traditionally presides over the election of the Speaker, a role currently held by Liberal Anthony Rota.

Meanwhile, PPC Leader Maxime Bernier has arrived at his campaign wrap party at the Saskatoon Inn.

He was greeted by a standing ovation, and one supporter even handed him a homemade Saskatoon berry pie as others shook his hand.

Officials have been adding seats throughout the night, with the conference room packed by people who are mostly unmasked.

Organizers are pleading with the crowd to mask up in line with hotel policy, but many are not obliging.

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10:10 p.m.

Green Party Leader Annamie Paul is greeting supporters and volunteers after arriving at the downtown Toronto venue where her campaign is watching tonight’s election results.

A chant of “Annamie, Annamie” erupted as she walked among the crowd and waved.

Paul is running in Toronto Centre — considered a Liberal stronghold — for the third time in as many years.

She came in second behind Liberal Marci Ien last fall in a byelection triggered by the resignation of former finance minister Bill Morneau.

Paul took the reins of the Green Party just before the byelection, but grappled with internal party turmoil and a bid to oust her from the leadership weeks before the election was called.

Early results show the party capturing roughly three per cent of the popular vote. 

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10 p.m.

Polls are now closed in British Columbia and Yukon.

Yukon’s chief medical health officer Dr. Brendan Hanley is on leave to run for the Liberals to replace Larry Bagnell, who spent two decades as the territory’s Liberal MP.

While many ridings in B.C. have remained consistently New Democrat or Conservative in the North, the Interior and on Vancouver Island results in about a dozen ridings are in question.

One riding that will change is Vancouver Granville, where former Liberal cabinet minister turned Independent Jody Wilson-Raybould didn’t run again.

Back east, The Canadian Press projects that Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier will hold her Quebec seat in Gaspésie-Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

Conservative James Bezan is also projected to return to the House of Commons to represent the Manitoba riding of Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman.

9:50 p.m.

NDP candidate Mary Shortall says she won’t be getting much sleep tonight as she waits for the remaining votes to be counted in Newfoundland’s St. John’s East riding.

There was a quick flurry of activity at campaign wrap party as it became clear the Liberals would take the seat from the New Democrats.

Provincial NDP Leader Lorraine Michael remained in her seat, keeping her eyes on the numbers.

Shortall gave a short, heartfelt speech as the numbers looked favourable for Liberal Joanne Thompson.

“We won’t know, and we probably won’t know until tomorrow,” Shortall told a small crowd of media and supporters. “This has been one heck of a journey.”

Although polls have closed in much of the country, Elections Canada says anyone in line before the poll close will be able to vote.

Polls in British Columbia and Yukon are set to close at 10 p.m.

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9:30 p.m.

Polls are now closed in Ontario — a key battleground that could determine the outcome of the federal election.

In 2019, the Liberals swept Toronto and many of the so-called 905 ridings around the city.

There are some reports of long lineups at polling stations in the province tonight.

Fewer polling stations were open today since many schools were not used as voting locations due to the pandemic.

Polls are also closing in Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Meanwhile, Montreal police say seven people, including a four-year-old, were transported to hospital after they were hit by a car in the parking lot of a polling station in the western part of the city.

Police say none of the victims’ lives are in danger.

Montreal police spokeswoman Const. Caroline Chèvrefils says the driver of the car, a 51-year-old woman, has been detained for investigative purposes.

She says police believe the collision, which took place at about 5 p.m., was accidental.

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9:10 p.m.

The New Democrats look to have lost their only seat in Atlantic Canada.

The Canadian Press is projecting that Liberal Joanne Thompson has won the riding vacated by the retirement of Jack Harris.

The NDP has tempered expectations as party officials say any seat gains will be considered a success.

In New Brunswick, it appears the Liberals and Conservatives are on track to win the same seats they held before the election. 

One change could be in the riding of Fredericton which was won last time by the Green party with Jenica Atwin, who is running this time as a Liberal after a split with her former party.

In the 90 minutes since the polls closed, the lead has flip-flopped between Atwin and Conservative candidate Andrea Johnson.

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9 p.m.

The Liberals are holding on to all four seats in Prince Edward Island.

The Canadian Press projects Bobby Morrissey in Egmont, Lawrence MacAulay in Cardigan, Sean Casey in Charlottetown and Heather MacDonald in Malpeque.

But the results are not good for another longtime Liberal MP.

The Canadian Press projects that Scott Simms has lost his riding of Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame to Conservative challenger Clifford Small. 

Simms was first elected in 2004, defeating the Conservative incumbent at the time, Rex Barnes. 

Voting continues in the rest of the country where the next set of polls are scheduled to close at 9:30 p.m.

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8:45 p.m.

The Liberals are now leading or elected in 24 ridings in Atlantic Canada, followed by the Conservatives with nine.

The NDP lead in St. John’s East has disappeared as candidate Mary Shortall has fallen behind Liberal candidate Joanne Thompson.

Provincial and federal NDP party luminaries are gathered in a newly opened Memorial University building overlooking the St. John’s harbour on Signal Hill to watch the results roll in.

The mood decidedly changes as figures show Thompson pulling ahead of Shortall, who hopes to replace Jack Harris.

People have fallen quiet and all eyes focus on a large screen projecting numbers from the back of the room.

Harris says holding the riding is enormously important to the party, noting it is the only Atlantic Canadian seat held by the NDP.

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8:37 p.m. 

The Conservatives appear to have picked up a seat in Nova Scotia at the expense of a high-profile Liberal cabinet minister.

The Canadian Press projects that Conservative Rick Perkins will upset Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan. 

The Canadian Press also projects that Liberals Serge Cormier will be re-elected in Acadie-Bathurst, Churence Rogers in Bonavista-Burin-Trinity, and Mike Kelloway in Cape Breton-Canso.

Early results from Atlantic Canada show the People’s Party of Canada with just under four per cent of the vote.

The party is holding its election night rally at the Saskatoon Inn where Leader Maxime Bernier is expected to make a speech later this evening.

The event is being held in Saskatchewan because organizers wanted a traditional rally that wasn’t possible in Quebec due to limits on crowd sizes.

The party set up two rallies — one inside and one outside the hotel — to give people the option to participate, but those who choose the indoor rally must wear a mask.

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8:20 p.m.

The Canadian Press is projecting that Ken McDonald is going to keep his Newfoundland seat of Avalon and Dominic LeBlanc will hold on to Beausejour in New Brunswick.

McDonald was first elected in 2015, while LeBlanc has represented his riding for over 20 years.

Also projected to win is Liberal Yvonne Jones, who first won the riding of Labrador during a 2013 byelection.

That gives the Liberals four seats as early results roll in from Atlantic Canada.

The Canadian Press also projects that Conservatives will hold Tobique-Mactaquac and West Nova.

Two seats to keep an eye on include two high-profile Liberal candidates: Bernadette Jordan in South Shore-St. Margarets, and Jenica Atwin in Fredericton.

Jordan is the fisheries minister who was first elected in the riding in 2015, but early results have her trailing Conservative candidate Rick Perkins.

Atwin crossed the floor from the Greens and got a boost in the waning days of the campaign from a visit from Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.

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8 p.m.

The Canadian Press is projecting that Liberal Seamus O’Regan, the natural resources minister, is going to hold is riding of St. John’s South — Mt. Pearl. 

The Liberals are now leading in 15 ridings in Atlantic Canada, including Beausejour in New Brunswick, where incumbent and longtime Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc has an early lead.

Conservative candidates are leading in five ridings, and the New Democrats in one — in St. John’s East that the NDP is hoping to hold.

The NDP expect a long wait for results in St. John’s East district.

Campaign manager Amanda Will says her numbers from Elections Canada show 6,349 people in the riding applied for a special ballot.

She says so far, 4,273 of those ballots have been returned, leaving more than 2,000 more to come in.

Will says special ballot counting will begin Tuesday.

In the 2019 federal election, Jack Harris won the St. John’s East seat for the NDP by just over 6,100 votes.

In Prince Edward Island, where the Liberals hope to keep their stronghold on the four seats, Liberal Lawrence MacAulay is also off to an early lead.

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7:30 p.m.

Liberal candidates are leading in four of the seven seats up for grabs in Newfoundland and Labrador as early results roll in, but the parties are keeping a close eye on St. John’s East and Bonavista-Burin-Trinity.

The NDP hold their only Atlantic Canadian seat in the downtown riding St. John’s East, but Jack Harris, who won the riding back from the Liberals in 2019, isn’t running again.

The party is hoping labour leader Mary Shortall will be elected as his replacement.

Meanwhile, Liberal incumbent Churence Rogers in Bonavista-Burin-Trinity holds an early lead over Conservative Sharon Vokey.

Rogers had Chrystia Freeland, the country’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, campaigning for him last weekend. 

Polls across the rest of Atlantic Canada are now set to close.

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7 p.m.

The first polls are closing across the country in Canada’s 44th general election.

Results should soon start rolling in from Newfoundland.

Across Atlantic Canada, the Liberals at the dissolution of Parliament held 27 of the 32 seats available across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Polls suggest the Liberals and Conservatives were running neck-and-neck going into election day, ahead of the New Democrats and Bloc Québécois, which is only running candidates in Quebec.

Parties were working hard during the day to get their supporters out to the polls.

Elections Canada reported a handful of disruptions at polling stations across the country, as millions of Canadians cast their ballots in the country’s first pandemic election.

Some stations had to be relocated or opened late, alongside reports of long lineups at polling stations where voters waited longer than usual to cast a ballot because of health measures.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2021.

The Canadian Press