The first polls closed in Newfoundland at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Maritimes at 7:30 p.m. ET. The hugely important battlegrounds of Quebec and Ontario take centre stage at 9:30 p.m. ET. B.C.’s polls close at 10 p.m. ET.
Results — including CBC’s first projected win — have begun trickling in after polls in the 2021 federal election closed, first in Newfoundland and Labrador, then the rest of Atlantic Canada.
Liberal Seamus O’Regan, the natural resources minister when the election was called, was the first candidate projected to win re-election, in St. John’s South–Mount Pearl.
All 32 ridings in Atlantic Canada have begun posting results, but an early warning: this could be the start of a long process.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led many to vote by special ballot (1,267,014 ballots have been mailed out and 951,039 returned as of Monday, according to Elections Canada). That means it could take a while before you know who won and lost, especially in ridings where polling conducted during the 36-day campaign suggests the margin is razor thin.
However, Elections Canada told CBC News soon after those polls closed that it expects close to 95 per cent of those ballots to be counted tonight.
Here’s a look at what’s at stake in the four Atlantic provinces:
Liberals hope Rock stays red
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau bumps elbows with Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey earlier this summer. Furey is making no apologies for endorsing the federal Liberals, despite criticism from the provincial opposition. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)
The Liberals have been able to count on Newfoundland and Labrador to get them off to a good start, and Liberals recently won at the provincial level during another pandemic-era election.
Since taking office, Premier Andrew Furey has praised Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau as “an immense friend to the province,” raising the hackles of the opposition who urged Furey to remain neutral.
Where might the Liberals be vulnerable?
The NDP will try to hang on to their lone seat of St. John’s East. Longtime MP Jack Harris held the seat before his retirement, and the party is hoping Mary Shortall can keep it orange.
The Conservatives are hoping to break through and win in Long Range Mountains, on the island’s west coast, where the Liberal incumbent, Gudie Hutchings, saw her vote share drop in 2019.
Conservative eyes on Nova Scotia
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole would love to see Nova Scotia ridings turn blue on Monday night, just like many did in the recent provincial election. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)
Heading into the election the Conservatives held one of the 11 seats in Nova Scotia, and are optimistic they’ll make inroads.
Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservatives won the August provincial election, despite starting the campaign way behind in the polls.
The Liberal handling of the moderate livelihood fishery, which saw violence and vandalism erupt in the southwestern part of the province last year, has also created a potential opening.
The one seat the Conservatives hold is the West Nova riding, which has been ground zero for that dispute. The riding next door? South Shore–St. Margarets — the home of Bernadette Jordan, who was fisheries minister at dissolution. If this riding flips to the Conservatives, it’s an encouraging sign for leader Erin O’Toole.
More than just the mud is red in P.E.I. (usually)
Four seats are at stake on Prince Edward Island.
The province usually votes Liberal, with Egmont the only riding to send a non-Grit to Ottawa since 1988. But one definite change is that Liberal Wayne Easter will not win. He had won nine straight elections in the riding of Malpeque, but isn’t running again.
People line up outside a polling station in the Spadina-Fort York riding in Toronto on Monday. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)
Can the Green Party win in Fredericton again?
New Brunswick will serve as an early test for the Green Party.
In 2019, Jenica Atwin won Fredericton for the Greens, marking the party’s only win ever outside of B.C. Then she crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party.
So, will Fredericton’s voters consider the Greens with a new candidate, Nicole O’Byrne? Or will the city go back to flip-flopping between the Liberal and Conservative parties?
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spent part of his childhood in St. John’s. Now, he’s hoping his party can hang on win at least one seat in the city. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
When will we know the results?
There’s a real chance you’ll go to bed tonight without knowing who won the election.
But you might.
In-person voting at advance polls was way up from 2019, with approximately 5,780,000 votes being cast from Sept. 10-13, according to Elections Canada.
Also, we’ll see whether there’s a good turnout on election day. What counts as good? Nearly 66 per cent of total eligible voters cast a ballot in 2019, just down from 68.5 per cent in 2015.
Our decision desk will keep working until we have answers for you. Send coffee.
What’s happening at polling stations?
If you’re reading this at a polling station, don’t worry about not being able to cast your ballot. Elections Canada says anyone in line when a station is supposed to close will still be allowed to vote.
Some Canadian voters waited outside in long lines on Monday while Elections Canada apologized for a technical problem with an application on its website that tells people where they can vote.
Many posted on social media that they were receiving an error while trying to use the voter information service page. They said the error stated: “We were unable to find your voting location. Please call the office of the returning officer for assistance.”
The problem has been fixed.
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul, pictured here in Toronto’s Regent Park, will have to break the Liberal hold on Toronto Centre if she wants to represent her party in the House of Commons. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
In Toronto, which has significantly fewer polling stations than in previous years, many stood outside in long lines before casting their ballots. In the city’s downtown core, one line wrapped around an entire city block as people waited to vote in the Spadina–Fort York riding. Once inside, however, many told CBC News the process went smoothly.
In Montreal, an accident caused some minor injuries, a police spokesperson said, after a woman lost control of her vehicle and hit people near a polling station in Montreal’s West Island. Const. Caroline Chèvrefils could not provide more details about the driver or the condition of the victims.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, left, tours the Lion Electric bus and truck plant while campaigning on Thursday in St.-Jerome, Que. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)
The magic number: 170
If you need a refresher on how this whole election thing works, Canada has 338 federal ridings, most located in densely populated parts (think: the Greater Toronto Area).
To win a majority government, a party needs to win 170 seats or more. The Liberals triggered the election holding 155, but would need a strong showing to win back the majority the party lost in 2019.
The Conservatives currently held 119 seats prior to the election.
Party that wins most seats won’t always govern
There’s one wrinkle here.
As CBC’s Aaron Wherry explained in 2019, a party could win the most seats in the election, but that doesn’t mean its leader will be prime minister — the same holds true today.
Justin Trudeau, as the incumbent prime minister, has the authority to recall Parliament, present a speech from the throne and seek to win the confidence of the House of Commons. With the support of other parties, he could continue as prime minister even if a rival party has more seats than his.
Of course, if a rival party wins a majority that scenario is out the window.
People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier takes part in a campaign stop, in Toronto, on Thursday. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
TORONTO – Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans lined up outside the gates of Toronto’s Rogers Centre Wednesday, with hopes of snagging some of the pop star’s merchandise on the eve of the first of her six sold-out shows in the city.
Swift is slated to perform at the venue from Thursday to Saturday, and the following week from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, with concert merchandise available for sale on some non-show days.
Swifties were all smiles as they left the merch shop, their arms full of sweaters and posters bearing pictures of the star and her Eras Tour logo.
Among them was Zoe Haronitis, 22, who said she waited in line for about two hours to get $300 worth of merchandise, including some apparel for her friends.
Haronitis endured the autumn cold and the hefty price tag even though she hasn’t secured a concert ticket. She said she’s hunting down a resale ticket and plans to spend up to $600.
“I haven’t really budgeted anything,” Haronitis said. “I don’t care how much money I spent. That was kind of my mindset.”
The megastar’s merchandise costs up to $115 for a sweater, and $30 for tote bags and other accessories.
Rachel Renwick, 28, also waited a couple of hours in line for merchandise, but only spent about $70 after learning that a coveted blue sweater and a crewneck had been snatched up by other eager fans before she got to the shop. She had been prepared to spend much more, she said.
“The two prized items sold out. I think a lot more damage would have been done,” Renwick said, adding she’s still determined to buy a sweater at a later date.
Renwick estimated she’s spent about $500 in total on “all-things Eras Tour,” including her concert outfit and merchandise.
The long queue for Swift merch is just a snapshot of what the city will see in the coming days. It’s estimated that up to 500,000 visitors from outside Toronto will be in town during the concert period.
Tens of thousands more are also expected to attend Taylgate’24, an unofficial Swiftie fan event scheduled to be held at the nearby Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Meanwhile, Destination Toronto has said it anticipates the economic impact of the Eras Tour could grow to $282 million as the money continues to circulate.
But for fans like Haronitis, the experience in Toronto comes down to the Swiftie community. Knowing that Swift is going to be in the city for six shows and seeing hundreds gather just for merchandise is “awesome,” she said.
Even though Haronitis hasn’t officially bought her ticket yet, she said she’s excited to see the megastar.
“It’s literally incredible.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
OTTAWA – Via Rail is asking for a judicial review on the reasons why Canadian National Railway Co. has imposed speed restrictions on its new passenger trains.
The Crown corporation says it is seeking the review from the Federal Court after many attempts at dialogue with the company did not yield valid reasoning for the change.
It says the restrictions imposed last month are causing daily delays on Via Rail’s Québec City-Windsor corridor, affecting thousands of passengers and damaging Via Rail’s reputation with travellers.
CN says in a statement that it imposed the restrictions at rail crossings given the industry’s experience and known risks associated with similar trains.
The company says Via has asked the courts to weigh in even though Via has agreed to buy the equipment needed to permanently fix the issues.
Via said in October that no incidents at level crossings have been reported in the two years since it put 16 Siemens Venture trains into operation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
LAVAL, Que. – The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven says it has received a new management buyout proposal from a member of the family that helped found the company, offering an alternative to the takeover bid from Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.
The proposal for Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd. is being made by Junro Ito, who is a vice-president and director of the company, and Ito-Kogyo Co. Ltd., a private company affiliated with him.
Terms of the non-binding offer by Ito were not disclosed.
In a statement Wednesday, Seven & i said its special committee has been reviewing the proposal with its financial advisers.
Stephen Hayes Dacus, chair of the special committee and board of directors of the company, said the company is committed to an objective review of all alternatives as it considers the proposals from Ito and Couche-Tard as well as the company’s stand-alone opportunities.
“The special committee and the company board will continue to engage with all parties in a manner designed to maximize value and will continue to act in the best interests of the company’s shareholders and other stakeholders,” he said in a statement.
The company noted that Ito has been excluded from all discussions within the company related to the offer and the bid by Couche-Tard.
Quebec-based Couche-Tard made a revised offer for Seven & i last month after an earlier proposal was rebuffed by the Japanese firm because it was too low and did not fully address U.S. regulatory concerns.
It did not respond to a request for comment about Ito’s offer.
RBC Capital Markets analyst Irene Nattel said the latest development underscored her belief that a Couche-Tard deal with Seven & i is a “low probability event.”
“Assuming attractive pricing and a fully-funded transaction, the potential privatization from a friendly Japanese group would seemingly provide investors with the value creation event they seek,” said Nattel, adding that it would skirt potential competition issues in the U.S. and concerns around the foreign takeover of a core local entity for Japanese regulators.
Couche-Tard has argued its proposal offers clear strategic and financial benefits and has said it believes the two companies can reach a mutually agreeable transaction.
However, the Japanese company has said there are multiple and significant challenges such a transaction would face from U.S. competition regulators.
Couche-Tard operates across 31 countries, with more than 16,800 stores. A successful deal with Seven & i could add 85,800 stores to its network.
Seven & i owns not only the 7-Eleven chain, but also supermarkets, food producers, household goods retailers and financial services companies.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
