Justin Trudeau has been elected as Canada’s next Prime Minister, winning a majority government for his Liberal Party.
Of 338 seats in Canada’s House of Commons, 170 was needed to achieve a majority. The Liberal Party gained 189 seats, the Conservative Party gained 104 seats, and the New Democratic Party, or NDP, gained 34 seats, according to data reported by national broadcaster CBC.
The Bloc Quebecois, a party that advocates Quebec independence from Canada, gained 10 seats, and the Green Party, a grassroots party, gained 1 seat.
Justin Trudeau to be prime minister as Liberals surge to majority #elxn42 https://t.co/ik0hilGoww pic.twitter.com/4MzT9bFGdY
— CBC News (@CBCNews) October 20, 2015
Trudeau succeeds incumbent Stephen Harper and the Conservatives, who had served for nearly ten years in the role. Harper was re-elected in his constituency in the province of Alberta, but is to resign as leader of the Party.
Press release from the Conservative Party president: pic.twitter.com/WwpmzlG0uL
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) October 20, 2015
The NDP, led by Tom Mulcair, suffered heavy losses in the province of Quebec, where they were elected in much of the province in 2011, elevating them to the Opposition in the most recent Parliament. Mulcair was re-elected in his Quebec constituency. It is unclear if Mulcair will remain as leader.
Canada ‘ready for change’
In an interview through the social networking site Twitter, Joanna Clarke, a voter in Alberta, said tonight’s results showed the country was ready for change.
“I think Canadians have really shown that they are ready for a change and something new and different for Canada,” Clarke said. “I think almost it could be defined that Trudeau brings a fresh hope for positive change to Canada.”
Clarke said she hoped Trudeau would bring change on environmental policies and create positive change. She added that she hoped Trudeau would work with Green Party leader Elizabeth May on various issues.
“I hope to see a Canada in the years ahead that is a country demonstrating how a government can do morally correct things – that is always open to interpretation – but I mean making decisions for more than solely an economic bottom line,” Clarke said. “I hope to see Canada step forward as a strong and confident leader in the world, looking forward and making progressive and position change, with recognizing how things are dynamically changing and where global trends are moving towards.”
The Conservatives will become the party in Opposition, while the NDP will gain third party status.
Breaking News: In an upset, the Liberal Party’s Justin Trudeau is projected to become Canada’s next prime minister https://t.co/Fwb8UATvIs
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 20, 2015
Trudeau is the son of the former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who served during the 1970s and briefly during the 1980s. He was first elected as an MP in 2008 for the Papineau constituency outside Montréal, and became Liberal Party leader in 2013.
