The Liberals were able to mostly maintain their command of Atlantic Canada in this federal election.
The party, led by Mark Carney, is projected to form government.
With 95 per cent of the polls in the region reporting, the Liberals were elected or leading in 23 of the 32 ridings, and the Conservatives were at nine. The New Democrats were not in contention, with less than five per cent of the popular vote. If those results hold, the Liberals would be down one seat from the election in 2021.
With early election results, the Conservatives appeared to be performing better than expected, especially in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In that province, where polls closed first, six of the seven ridings were previously held by Liberals. Five of them did not run in this election.
Global News is projecting Liberal Philip Earle has won in the riding of Labrador, Liberal Tom Osborne has won Cape Spear. Liberal Joanne Thompson has won St. John’s East and Liberal Paul Connors won in the riding of Avalon.
Incumbent Conservative candidate, Clifford Small, is projected to win his riding of Central Newfoundland and Conservative Carol Anstey has won Long Range Mountains.
In Nova Scotia, the riding of Central Nova was a key one to watch. Incumbent Sean Fraser is a former Liberal cabinet minister who announced in December 2024 he was leaving cabinet after the next shuffle and would not seek re-election. He later endorsed Mark Carney in his Liberal leadership bid when Justin Trudeau stepped down. Last month, Fraser announced he had changed his mind and would indeed re-offer, after a call from Carney.
In the riding of Halifax, which was left vacant after Liberal MP Andy Fillmore stepped down to run for mayor of the city, the riding will be staying Liberal with Shannon Miedema. NDP candidate Lisa Roberts, who had come in second in the 2021 election behind Fillmore, had been hoping to flip the riding this time around.
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“This is not what we hoped for, but I’m so proud of us,” she told supporters Monday night.
In New Brunswick, Liberal Serge Cormier has been re-elected in the riding of Acadie-Bathurst and Liberal Dominic LeBlanc has been re-elected in Beauséjour, where he has been MP since 2000.
LeBlanc, who has held various cabinet positions — most recently minister of intergovernmental affairs — said his party will have to focus on relations with the United States and President Donald Trump, as well as stability for Canadians.
“We’ve never seen this level of uncertainty and angst amongst Canadians,” LeBlanc told Global News.
The riding of Fredericton-Oromocto will also be staying Liberal – with the election of musician David Myles. It was previously held by Jenica Atwin, who was elected as a member of the Green Party in 2019. Her win made the riding the only one outside of British Columbia to elect a Green MP. But Atwin crossed the floor to join the Liberals in 2021. Last year, she was among the group of MPs who requested Trudeau step down and later announced she would not run again.
Monday night, Myles told an enthusiastic room of supporters it was “beyond a dream” for him to represent his hometown.
“I have always loved this community and I love it even more now,” he said.
Liberal candidate Wayne Long, who had also indicated he would not seek re-election but changed his mind after Carney’s leadership win, has won in Saint John-Kennebecasis.
Meanwhile, the Conservative candidates are projected to be re-elected in Tobique-Mactaquac and Fundy Royal.
Prince Edward Island’s four ridings will remain Liberal.
Polls favoured Liberals
The Liberals have had a strong showing on the East Coast. In 2015, the party — led by Justin Trudeau — won every riding in these provinces and had an overwhelming majority government.
In the two elections since, the Liberals have lost some support, but political watchers and polling indicated the party would stay strong in the region.
A survey from Halifax-based polling firm, Narrative Research, conducted on April 21 and 22, found the Liberals holding a strong lead.
When considering voting intentions among decided voters and those who voted in advance polls, 66 per cent said they backed Mark Carney’s Liberals, while 26 per cent said they supported Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives and six per cent indicated support for the NDP.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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