All the votes have not been counted, but the major Canadian broadcast networks have forecast another Liberal minority government.
As of this writing, the Liberals are leading in 158 ridings, compared to 119 for the Conservatives, 34 for the Bloc Québécois, 25 for the NDP and two for the Greens.
The Liberals needed 170 to form a majority government in the 338-seat Parliament.
All four of the major party leaders are projected to win their ridings.
People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier was defeated.
Similar to the 2019 result, the Greater Toronto Area is largely Liberal red with Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives failing to make a major breakthrough. The Tories will form the official opposition with slightly fewer seats than the party won two years ago under Andrew Scheer.
In Toronto, there are close races between NDP’s Alejandra Bravo and Liberal incumbent Julie Dzerowicz in Davenport; in Parkdale-High Park between Liberal incumbent Arif Virani and the NDP’s Paul Taylor; and in Spadina-Fork York between Norm Di Pasquale of the NDP and Kevin Vuong, the former Liberal candidate who will sit as an independent if elected.
In Toronto Centre, Green Party leader Annamie Paul lost to Marci Ien of the Liberals. Green candidates Elizabeth May and Mike Morrice are projected to win in their ridings in B.C. and Kitchener, respectively.
One of Justin Trudeau’s cabinet ministers, Maryam Monsef, lost to her Conservative opponent, Michelle Ferreri, in Peterborough-Kawartha. Monsef is the minister of women and gender equality and rural economic development.
The fisheries and oceans minister, Bernadette Jordan, also went down to defeat. She lost to Conservative Rick Perkins in South Shore-St. Margarets in Nova Scotia.
The Liberals were hoping to win a majority government at the start of the campaign, but they were unable to push down the Bloc’s seat count in Quebec.
September 21, 2021 at 9:50 am: This story was updated with more recent election results.
This story originally appeared in the Georgia Straight. With files from NOW staff
