Duncan returns to opposition in SDG riding win

Conservative incumbent Eric Duncan addressed a crowd of about 90 supporters in a brief victory speech election night, April 28, in Cornwall. (The Leader/Blancher photo)

CORNWALL – Two-term incumbent Member of Parliament Eric Duncan has won a third consecutive term.

With 272 of 278 polls reporting, Duncan won 57.2 per cent of the vote (34,996 votes) in Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry. Duncan added approximately 3,000 votes to his tally from 2021.

Liberal candidate Sarah Good finished second, trailing Duncan by just over 11,000 votes. Good had the strongest Liberal finish in the riding in votes (23,810) since former MP Bob Kilger in 1997.

Finishing in a distant third place is NDP candidate Mario Leclerc, who garnered just 2.5 per cent of the vote (1,520 votes.) Green Party candidate Gordon Kubanek is fourth with 1.0 per cent of the vote (638 votes), and Libertarian candidate Karl MacKinnon finished in fifth place with 0.4 per cent of the vote (254 votes).

As of 1 a.m. April 29, Dundas will return to Parliament Hill as part of a larger Conservative caucus which will form the official opposition. Many of the polls are still reporting numbers to Elections Canada and a number of election races in urban centres in Ontario (GTA, 416, 905, and southwestern) and in British Columbia have not yet been called.

CTV, CBC, and Global TV have each called a Liberal minority government at a minimum. The Liberals are leading or elected in 164 ridings, the Conservatives are leading or elected in 148 ridings, while the Bloc Québécois are leading or elected in 23 ridings. Mirroring national polling numbers just prior to election night, support for the NDP collapsed across the country. The NDP are leading or elected in eight ridings. The Green Party is leading or elected in one riding. Parties need 172 seats to form a majority government.

Among the leaders, Liberal leader Mark Carney has won his seat in Nepean, receiving 64.7 per cent of the vote. As of 1 a.m., Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was trailing his Liberal challenger Bruce Fanjoy by over 3,500 votes. That was with 70 per cent of the polls reporting Carleton riding. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh finished third in Burnaby, he announced his resignation as party leader during his concession speech Monday night. BQ leader Yves-François Blanchet won his riding of Beloeil–Chambly, as did Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May in Saanich—Gulf Islands. Co-leader Jonathan Pedneault finished third in his riding of Outremont.

This story will be updated later as it develops.