Updated on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 8:00 a.m.
Kingston and the Islands Liberal candidate Mark Gerretsen was re-elected for a second term on Oct. 21, capturing 46 per cent of and 30,688 ballots.
Gerretsen will be one of the Liberal Party’s 157 seats in the House of Commons, where the re-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must now navigate a minority government.
NDP candidate Barrington Walker came in second with 15,592 votes in the riding.
In a rare step for Kingston and the Islands, the Conservative candidate, Ruslan Yakoviychuk, was pushed to third place with 12,808 votes. Green Party candidate Candice Christmas followed with 5,867 votes.
The People’s Party of Canada candidate Andy Brooke finished last in the riding with 1,717 votes. The PPC failed to win a single seat in Parliament, and Maxime Bernier, the party’s leader, was not re-elected in his home riding of Beauce.
Leading the NDP candidate Barrington Walker by more than 8,000 votes at around midnight, Gerretsen celebrated the win at the Cloverleaf Lanes bowling alley across the street from his campaign office.
“Kingstonians have decided to send me back to Ottawa and I’m extremely humble for that opportunity,” Gerretsen told The Journal. “I look forward to continuing to represent them in any way that I can.”
“I look forward to working with the folks at Queen’s, to continue to advocate on their behalf, to make sure we get our fair share when it comes to money going out to universities throughout the country,” he said.
Barrington Walker addresses ers as the riding is called for the Liberals. Photo by Jodie Grieve.
Walker trailed Gerretsen, settling in at just over 20 per cent after 12 a.m.
Celebrating his campaign at The Loyal Oarsman on Bath Rd., Walker spoke about the importance of his family in his speech to ers.
“Without you, this wouldn’t have even happened,” he said.
Conservative candidate Ruslan Yakoviychuk gathered with approximately 20 ers at Our Lady of Fatima Parish on Division St. Yakoviychuk came in third, capturing under 20 per cent of the vote.
“It’s obvious people aren’t ready for the change,” he told The Journal. “I want to congratulate Mr. Gerretsen on his victory. I will not give up and I will fight another war again.”
Green Party candidate Candice Christmas told The Journal she “felt zen” watching the results come in at the Merchant with ers and campaign staff.
After an “exhausting” campaign, Christmas said it was gratifying to vote with her daughter and father today, who she saied voted Green for the first time.
Candice Christmas (middle left) celebrates election night with ers and campaign staff. Photo by Iain Sherriff-Scott.
People’s Party candidate Andy Brooke, who ed the party after running for the Conservatives in Kingston and the Islands four years ago, told The Journal at his election night headquarters he “felt at peace” going into the evening.
“We did the campaign we wanted to do and we have no regrets. The campaign itself, we went out to do what we wanted to do,” Brooke said, gathered with ers at the Kingston Brewing Company.
Principal Patrick Deane congratulated Gerretsen on his re-election in a tweet Tuesday morning.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Mr. Gerretsen to advance Queen’s and Kingston as important centres for education, research, and innovation,” he wrote.
On behalf of Queen’s, I would like to congratulate @MarkGerretsen on his re-election as MP for Kingston and the Islands. I look forward to continuing to work with Mr. Gerretsen to advance Queen’s and Kingston as important centres for education, research, and innovation. 1/2 #ygk
— Patrick Deane (@QueensPrincipal) October 22, 2019
This story is developing and will be updated with more information.
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