The Conservative incumbents who represent the three federal ridings in the Town & Country region are headed back to Ottawa, but this time they are backed by the strength of a majority government.
Brian Jean (Fort McMurray-Athabasca), Brian Storseth (Westlock-St. Paul) and Rob Merrifield (Yellowhead) were each re-elected in their respective ridings by a wide margin Monday night, as the Stephen Harper-led Conservatives regained a majority government.
At press time, the Conservatives were leading in 167 seats. They needed 155 to achieve a majority.
Along with the Conservative victory, the story of the night was the ascension of the New Democratic Party, as Jack Layton becomes the leader of the Official Opposition. At press time, the NDP were leading or elected in 104 seats, an all-time high for the party.
The gains achieved by the Conservatives and the NDP came at the expense of the Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois, each of which lost close to 40 seats Monday night.
At press time, the Liberals were leading or elected in just 34 seats, while the Bloc Quebecois could only claim two.
Both Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe looked to be headed to defeat in their respective ridings at press time.
“Democracy teaches hard lessons, and we have to learn them all,” Ignatieff said in defeat Monday night. “I accept my responsibility for what has occurred.”
At press time, Green Party leader Elizabeth May was poised to win her B.C. riding, which would be the first-ever seat for the Green Party in Canada.