Liberals projected to form minority government

A total of 46,125 votes were cast in the riding, about 58.2 per cent of eligible voters. The figure does not include voters who registered on election day.

In 2019, Conservative Glen Motz won the Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner riding with 79.2 per cent of the vote. Elizabeth Thomson, running for the NDP, placed second with 8.7 per cent.

Early Tuesday, the Liberals were hovering between 155 and 157 seats. The former is the number they had when Trudeau called the election in August, and the latter is what they won in 2019.

The Conservatives were teetering on 121 or 122 seats, after winning 121 less than two years ago.

Image from Elections Canada

9:52 p.m.: In Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner, Glen Motz has won in a landslide for the third time.

With 135 of 229 polls reporting, Motz leads with 64.6 per cent of the vote. Jocelyn Stenger of the NDP is a distant second with 14.9 per cent of the vote.

The People’s Party’s Brodie Heidinger is third (9.4 per cent), followed by Hannah Wilson of the Liberals (7.1 per cent), Geoff Shoesmith of the Maverick Party (2.4 per cent) and Diandra Bruised Head of the Green Party (1.6 per cent).

Motz says he’s pleased with the local result and praised his campaign team.

Nationally, he says he’s incredibly disappointed.

“I was certainly hoping for a different result,” Motz said Monday evening. “I think Justin Trudeau should take a hike personally and step away from what he is trying to do to ruin this country. I’m actually surprised and disgusted at the results I’m seeing down east.”

9:37 p.m.: Conservative incumbents are projected to win re-election in the ridings near Medicine Hat.

Rachael Harder currently has 54.2 per cent of the vote in the Lethbridge riding. The NDP challenger, Elaine Perez is second with 20.1. That’s with 170 of the 255 polls reporting.

In Bow River, Martin Shields has 70.7 per cent of the vote with 79 of 224 polling stations reporting. People’s Party candidate Johnathan Bridges has 10.8 per cent of the vote.

9:26 p.m.: The Canadian Press is projecting the Liberals have won enough seats to stay in power with a minority government but have fallen short of winning a majority.

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

Among party leaders, the Liberal’s Justin Trudeau, the Conservative’s Erin O’Toole and the Bloc Quebecois’ Yves-Francois Blanchet are projected to win re-election. The People’s Party of Canada’s Maxime Bernier is not projected to win in his riding.

There is no projection yet for either NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh or Green Leader Annamie Paul.

9:08 p.m.: With 60 of 229 polls reporting, the CPC’s Glen Motz is maintaining a large lead over his challengers.

Motz has 61.3 per cent of the vote so far; the NDP’s Jocelyn Stenger has 16.4 per cent of the vote followed by the PPC’s Brodie Heidinger at 9.3. Liberal Hannah Wilson has 8.4 per cent, the Green’s Diandra Bruised Head has 2.2 and Geoff Shoesmith of the Maverick Party has 2.1 per cent.

To the west in Lethbridge, Rachael Harder of the CPC has been declared as the victory by multiple outlets.

8:50 p.m.: Glen Motz has been re-elected by the people of Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner.

The Conservative Party of Canada candidate won the riding in a landslide for the third time. With 35 of 229 polls reporting Motz leads with 63.1 per cent of the vote. Jocelyn Stenger of the NDP is a distant second with 14.3 per cent of the vote.

Nationally, the Liberal Party will form government, but it’s yet to be determined whether that will be a majority or minority government.

8:25 p.m.: With nine of the 229 polls in Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner reporting, the CPC’s Glen Motz has a commanding lead. He has 70 per cent of the vote so far, 933 votes out of 1,333 counted thus far.

PPC candidate Brodie Heidinger has 141 (10.6 per cent) of the votes, and the NDP’s Jocelyn Stenger has 110 votes (8.3 per cent).

8:15 p.m.: The first of 229 polls in the Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner riding has Glen Motz of the CPC taking 77 of the 97 votes cast, according to Elections Canada. People’s Party of Canada candidate Brodie Heidinger has 14 of the votes, the NDP’s Jocelyn Stenger has four votes and Geoff Shoesmith of the Maverick party and Hannah Wilson of the Liberal Party each got one vote.

Nationally, the Liberals are elected or leading in 120 ridings, the Conservatives in 53.

8:00 p.m.: Polls are now closed in B.C. Among the developments so far across the country, the NDP looks 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.

As well, 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.

7:43 p.m.: As results begin to come in from Quebec, Ontario and the Prairies, the Liberals are expanding their early lead. According to The Canadian Press, the Liberals are elected or leading in 40 ridings followed by the Conservatives elected or leading in 16 ridings. The Bloc Quebecois is elected or leading in four and the NDP and Green Party are elected or leading in on each.

7:27 p.m.: Polls are about to close in much of the country so here is one last look back. In 2019, Conservative Glen Motz won the Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner riding with 79.2 per cent of the vote. Elizabeth Thomson, running for the NDP, placed second with 8.7 per cent.

CHAT News File Photo

7:20 p.m.: Results are being counted in 34 ridings and only two parties are elected or in the lead in any of them. The Liberals lead in 26 ridings and the Conservatives in eight. So far the Liberals have garnered 42.3 per cent of the votes and the Conservatives 32.5 per cent.

6:58 p.m.: As we wait for polls to close here are some things to know tonight. The election official got underway on Aug. 15 after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked Gov. Gen Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament.

There are 338 seats across Canada, so a party needs to win at least 170 seats to form a majority government.

At the dissolution of Parliament, the Liberal Party held 155 seats, the Conservative Party of Canada 119 seats, the Bloc Quebecois 32 seats, the NDP 24 seats and the Green Party two seats. There were five seats held by Independent MPs and one seat as vacant.

6:25 p.m.: Results from Atlantic Canada continue to come in and the Liberals are building on their early lead. The party is leading or elected in 23 ridings. Conservative Party of Canada candidates are leading in eight ridings and NDP candidates in one.

5:45 p.m.: The first results of the 2021 federal election have begun to roll in with polls now closed on Canada’s east coast. The Liberals are leading in six of the 10 ridings that have reported results so far.

–with files from The Canadian Press

by Chris Brown

Liberals projected to form minority government

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