Federal election 2021: Liberal Lawrence MacAulay earns another big win in Cardigan

CBC News is projecting Liberal Lawrence MacAulaywill winhis 11th consecutive election in the eastern P.E.I. riding of Cardigan.

The CBC decision desk made the call shortly before 10 p.m. AT. With 51per cent of the vote to Conservative Wayne Phelan's 31 per cent,MacAulaywas on track to win by the same margin he did in 2019, when he won 49 per cent and Phelan won 29 per cent.

"Oh dear God what a night," MacAulay said to applause from supporters after the results were called."Great to be here. Thank you so much."

He thanked his supporters, his constituents, his campaign team and his wife, Frances.

"The tension is no different from the first one to this one, really and truly. It's always tense watching the returns. I don't even know how my majority was but I think it was pretty good," he said.

"If you pay any attention to the polls or the news during an election campaign it can have a great effect on you. I learned many years ago that's one thing you do when you're in a campaign do your own thing, talk to the people and pay no attention to what's going on other places. What you do is focus on the people you work for."

MacAulay said he plans to focus on equality and boosting the local economy.

"Making sure that peoplethat have less have a better chance in life and if I can do that, then I've done something good, really."

Greens trail in 4th

The NDP'sLynne Thiele placed third, an improvement over her fourth-place finish in 2019. Thiele pushedthe Green Party, represented in this election by Michael MacLean, into fourth place.

Kevin Hardy for the People's Party placed fifth, followed by Fred MacLeod for the Christian Heritage Party in sixth.

MacAulay has represented Cardigan since 1988, a year that marked the beginning of Liberal domination onthe Island at the federal level.

In the last 10 elections in P.E.I.'s four ridings, Liberal candidates have lost just twice:to Conservative Gail Shea in Egmont in both 2008 and 2011.