The NDP’s Carol Hughes will remain Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing’s Member of Parliament.
Elections Canada numbers this morning give Hughes the win at 15,272, nearly 5,000 votes more than here nearest rival, Conservatives John Sagman at 10,893.
Hughes has represented the riding since 2008.
Hughes had a message for the voters of Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing and for the candidates she ran against.
“I’m honoured to have been chosen by the voters. We know we are offering people a good choice, so it’s nice to have that validated at the ballot box,” said Hughes.
These results are not final, however.
Mail-in ballots will not begin to be counted until Tuesday and no results are considered final until that process has ended.
The NDP candidate noted the election was unique with the pandemic informing all aspects of her campaign.
“This was different, but I was fortunate to have a great team that was willing to take the precautions so we could talk to voters,” said Hughes.
“Also, the fact that it was mostly a summer election meant that the last two weeks were crucially important, and I appreciate how many people gave of their free time to help get the result we hoped for.”
“I’m also honoured to have shared the ballot with all the candidates who put their names forward. It isn’t always easy to stand for election and I respect the commitment of anyone who runs for office.”
Hughes feels the next parliament will be similar to the last one, given the minority situation.
“No matter what shape this parliament takes, New Democrats will continue to fight for the issues that matter the most,” said Hughes.
“My priority remains ensuring the people of Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing are well represented and that the issues of this riding and Northern Ontario are at the forefront. I am proud of the work my staff
and I have done, we always put constituents first and nothing will change there.”
National election results
It looks like our new Parliament will be a lot like the old one.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau will be forming a minority government again, after winning the most seats in yesterday’s election.
The Conservatives, again, came in second, with the NDP finishing third.
All three parties captured almost the same number of ridings they took in 2019.
Trudeau hinted at the concerns Canadians had during the election, telling a crowd in his home riding in Montreal that he’s heard that people don’t want any more talk about elections, but want their elected representatives to get to work.
Conservative leader Erin O’Toole says it’s clear that his party has more work to do to win the support of voters.
The Conservatives finished three percentage points ahead of the Liberals in the total popular vote.
What about those ballots
There is a chance the results may change, once mail-in ballots are counted.
There are about one-million ready to be opened, a record.
All those ballots must be verified and election officials must make sure those people didn’t vote in person, before they can be counted.
The totals may not be available until Wednesday.