Cornwall Ontario — In the riding of Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry incumbent Conservative MP Guy Lauzon retains his seat winning by about 5600 votes, but Stephen Harper and the Conservatives have loss the election.

It is a huge victory for the Liberal Party of Canada who are now forming the 42nd Parliament. The keys at 24 Sussex Drive are changing hands because Justin Trudeau is now the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada.

In a statement posted to social media Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says, “Real change has come to Canada, and it’s because of you. Your knocks and calls. Your donations. Your support on social media. And most importantly, your votes. From every last candidate, to every last volunteer, donor and supporter, remember: I didn’t make history. You did. For three years, we had a very old-fashioned strategy. We met and talked with as many Canadians as we could. And we listened. We beat fear with hope. We beat cynicism with hard work. We beat negative, divisive politics with a positive vision that brings Canadians together. Most of all, we defeated the idea that Canadians should be satisfied with less. That good enough is good enough, and that better just isn’t possible.

Well my friends. This is Canada. And in Canada… Better is always possible. You built this platform. You built this movement. You told us what you need to be successful. You told us what kind of government you want, and we built the plan to make it happen. Now, we start on our next challenge: achieving real change for the middle class. And Canadians are counting on us to deliver. Thank you again for all your hope and hard work”.

“I am so proud of what Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party have accomplished in this election. Millions of Canadians tonight have shown that they want real change in Ottawa. After 10 long years of Stephen Harper, it was clearly time for a new leader with a bold and optimistic vision for our country’s future. Mr. Trudeau and the party ran a great campaign based on smart policies and a message of hope, and clearly this resonated with Canadians from coast to coast to coast”, says SDSG Liberal Candidate Bernadette Clement.

Following in his dads footsteps: Pierre Elliott Trudeau was Prime Minister of Canada from April 1968 to June 1979, and again from March 1980 to June 1984. This is the first time in Canadian history that the son of a Prime Minister has become Prime Minister.

Justin Trudeau is also the second youngest Prime Minister in Canadian history at 43 years of age. The title of youngest Prime Minister still belongs to former Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark, who defeated Justin Trudeau’s dad in 1979, only to lose to Pierre Trudeau the following year.

The Conservatives are now the official opposition, and the New Democratic Party has been bumped down to third spot. The Bloc now have ten seats in Quebec despite Gilles Duceppe losing his riding, and leader Elizabeth May won the Green Party’s only seat.

Voter Turnout: It was the biggest voter turnout in decades reaching 1993 numbers with approximately 70% of eligible voters casting a ballot.

Harper stepping down: It was announced that Stephen Harper is stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party.

__________________________

Vote totals in SDSG:

216 of 242 Polls

Guy Lauzon (Conservative) – Projected Winner – 51%
Bernadette Clement (Liberal) – 39%
Patrick Burger (NDP) – 8%
Elaine Kennedy (Greens) – 2%

Seat projections (winning or leading) in Canada:

Justin Trudeau and the Liberals – Projected Winner – 184
Stephen Harper and the Conservatives – 99
Thomas Mulcair and the NDP – 44
Gilles Duceppe and the Bloc – 10
Elizabeth May and the Greens  – 1