Justin Trudeau pledges 'real change' as Liberals leap ahead to majority government

Justin Trudeau will be Canada's next prime minister after leading the Liberal Party to a stunning majority government win, dashing the hopes of Stephen Harper, who had been seeking his fourth consecutive mandate, but will now step down as party leader.

This will be the second time for Canada to be led by aTrudeau, as the 43-year-oldLiberal leader follows in the footsteps of his father, Pierre ElliottTrudeau,who served as prime minister for almost 16 yearsbefore retiring in 1984.

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"Sunny ways my friends. Sunny ways," Trudeau told his enthusiastic supporters in Montreal. "This is whatpositive politics can do."

Canadians,he said, had sent a clear message that it's "time for change in this country my friends. Real change."

"We beat fear with hope," Trudeau said. "We beat cynicism with hard work.We beat negative, divisive politics with a positive vision that brings Canadians together."

Speaking to his supporters in Calgary, Harper made no mention about his political future, but the head of the Conservative Party released a statement indicating that the prime minister would step down.

"The people are never wrong," Harper told his supporters, adding that heaccepts the results without hesitation.

He said it was an "unbelievable honour to serve as your prime minister."

"The disappointment you also feel is my responsibility and mine alone," he said.

The defeatsfor the Conservatives include several cabinet ministers: Finance Minister Joe Oliver in Toronto,Fisheries and Oceans Minister GailSheain P.E.I.,Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister BernardValcourtin New Brunswickand Immigration Minister Chris Alexander in the Greater Toronto Area.

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Among othersignificant losses were PeterMacKay'sformerriding inCentral Nova,a riding that the former defence minister had held since 1997.Meanwhile, the NDPlostall six seats it hadheld in Atlantic Canada.

The Liberal wave that washed across the country offereda stinging rebuke to Harper and the Conservatives, who will formthe Official Opposition and had based their campaign largely on questioning Trudeau's readiness to lead.

The Liberalssawa totalreversal of theirpolitical fortunes after a crushing loss in 2011 that left them withonly 36 seats at the time of Parliament's dissolution.

Now, the Liberalswereelected or leading in 184ridings, havingwon seats in every province and taking the leadin all provinces exceptAlberta and Saskatchewan.The Tories followed withelected in more than 99 seats, while the NDP was at 44. The Bloc, meanwhile, was elected in 10 seats and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May was re-elected in B.C.

The Liberals finished with 39.5 per cent of the popular vote, while the other parties took the following percentages of the popular vote:

• Conservatives: 31.9 per cent
• NDP: 19.7 per cent
• Bloc Qubcois:: 4.7 per cent
• Green Party: 3.5 per cent

TomMulcair'sNDP moves tothird-party status, havingalso beendealt a devastatingblow. At the beginning of the 11-week campaign the partywasconsidered a front-runner, only to see that lead evaporate over the past weeks.

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The NDP wason the path to lose 50 seats in Quebec, which in the last election was a significant source of theso-called orange wave. The party had hoped that this election, at the very least, could have resulted in the party'ssecond-best showing, ahead of 1988 when they won 43 seatsand20 per cent of the popular vote. But for much of the night even that standard was in doubt.

Mulcairgave no hint about his political future, but a spokesman for the party said the NDP leader was not stepping down.Mulcairtold his supporters tonight that the election has been about change.Canadians, he said, had voted to turn the page on10 years of Harper government and rejected"the politics of fear and division."

He saidTrudeauhadmade ambitious commitments and Canadians will have high expectations for their next Parliament.

"With this election, Canadians have asked us all to work for them," Mulcair said. "We will not let them down."

Atlantic sweep

The Liberal Party had jumped to a solid lead early in the evening, painting Atlantic Canada red with a sweep of the entire region.

But the key to the Liberalmajority was thestrong performance in the vote-rich provincesofOntario and Quebec.In Ontario,the Liberal Party was leading or elected in around 80 seats, having won in thebig cities, including a sweep of Toronto, andrecapturingmany of the coveted seats in the suburban 905 areaaround Toronto thatit had lost to the Tories in 2011.

The Liberalsalso made huge gains in Quebec where they have been declared the winners in more than 40ridings.

The Conservatives hadheld 159 seats in the 308-seat House of Commons andthe NDP had 95, with another 18 seats either vacant, held by Independents or shared between the Green Party (two seats) and the BlocQubcoisand a splinter group.

Because of population growth, 30 new seats have been added this election, including 15 in Ontario, six each for Alberta and British Columbia and three more for Quebec.

RAW: Justin Trudeau's victory speech from Montreal

9 years ago

Duration 24:11

Canada's next Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers his address after the Liberal Party wins a majority in the federal election.