Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party has decisively won Canada’s general election, ending nearly a decade of Conservative rule.
The centrist Liberals started the campaign in third place but in a stunning turnaround now command a majority.
Justin Trudeau, the 43-year-old son of late PM Pierre Trudeau, said Canadians had voted for real change.
Incumbent Conservative PM Stephen Harper accepted defeat and his party said he will step down as leader.
It was the longest campaign in Canada’s history, and had been thought to be much closer.
Speaking after the polls closed, Stephen Harper said he had already congratulated Justin Trudeau, saying the Conservatives would accept the results “without hesitation”.
Addressing his jubilant supporters shortly afterwards, Justin Trudeau said that Canadians “sent a clear message tonight – it’s time for a change”.
“We beat fear with hope, we beat cynicism with hard work. Most of all we defeated the idea that Canadians should be satisfied with less.
“This is what positive politics can do,” he said.
Justin Trudeau also praised Stephen Harper for his service to Canada.
Few had predicted a Liberal victory on this scale. They look set to win 184 seats, a huge increase from only 36 that they held after suffering their worst-ever election result in 2011.
Liberals become the first party ever to move from third place in parliament to a majority in one election.
Meanwhile, the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) is on course to win 44 seats, less than half the number they held in the outgoing parliament.
“I congratulated Mr. Trudeau on his exceptional achievement,” said NDP leader Tom Mulcair.
Early counts in the eastern provinces gave the Liberals their first taste of victory, as they led in all 32 races there.
The Conservatives are now in danger of losing all 13 seats they held in Atlantic Canada in 2011.
Justin Trudeau campaigned on a promise of change, urging voters ahead of the polling day to “come together as a country”.
His charismatic father, Pierre Trudeau, is considered the father of modern Canada.
Stephen Harper, 56, portrayed himself as the steady hand who could steer Canada’s troubled economy back on track.
His campaign ran TV advertisements saying that Justin Trudeau was “just not ready” to take office.
The Canadian federal elections, formally known as the 42nd Canadian general election, will be held on Monday, October 19.
Canadians vote to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada.
Incumbent Conservative PM Stephen Harper is fighting for a rare fourth term but the frontrunner is Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, son of late PM Pierre Trudeau.
The performance of the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) could also be decisive, analysts say.
Opinion polls have suggested many people are still undecided.
On October 18, party leaders made their final pitch for votes after one of the longest and possibly closest election campaign in Canada’s history, criss-crossing the country to try to sway undecided voters.
Stephen Harper, 56, is selling himself as the steady hand who can steer Canada’s troubled economy back on track.
His campaign has run TV advertisements saying that Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, 43, is “just not ready” to take office.
Justin Trudeau started the race in third place but the Liberals took the lead in opinion polls in a late surge.
The Liberal leader is promising change, and investment over austerity.
Although he supports the fight against Islamic State (ISIS), he believes Canada should stop air strikes in Syria and Iraq, and focus on training local forces on the ground.
Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre, is considered the father of modern Canada.
NDP leader Tom Mulcair, 60, is hoping to build on his party’s second-place finish in the 2011 elections.
However, support for the NDP appeared to have fallen in recent weeks.
An opinion poll released on October 18 showed the Liberals on 37.3%, seven points ahead of the Conservatives at 30.5%. The NDP had 22.1% according to the Nanos survey taken on October 15 to 17. The margin of error was 2.2%.
Canada has entered recession in Q2 2015, official figures have shown.
The Canadian gross domestic product (GDP) fell by an annualized rate of 0.5% between April and June.
That follows a contraction of 0.8% in Q1 2015, meaning the economy has seen two consecutive quarters of negative growth, the usual definition of recession.
The data will be a blow for PM Stephen Harper, who faces elections on October 19.
The economy is expected to dominate the election debate.
The last time Canada was in recession was during the financial crisis of 2008-2009.
As an oil exporting country, Canada has been hit by a fall in the price of the commodity.
US crude oil prices are currently trading at about $47 a barrel, less than half last year’s level of $107 a barrel, pushed lower by a fall in global demand, particularly from China.
However, the Canadian figures also showed that trade in June was much brisker, leading analysts to suggest the worst may be over.
Tuesday’s data also showed business in the arts and entertainment sector increased by 6.4% in June, mainly as a result of Canada hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
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