THUNDER BAY – Liberal hopeful Patty Hajdu says she never takes her own riding for granted, let alone the national election results.
Nevertheless, she let out a sigh of relief on Monday night, after CTV's election desk predicted her party would return to power for the third time since 2015 in a minority government capacity.
Hajdu, who served as health minister in the most recent Parliament, said it shows Canadians trust the direction of the Liberals under leader Justin Trudeau.
“It's still a bit early. We'll see what kind of number of seats we have. Obviously a majority government versus a minority government is a big difference. But it's affirming to see that Canadians want to continue with a Liberal hand on the government, in terms of the way we've handled the pandemic, the big decisions around climate,” Hajdu said.
Hajdu said the government still has big things to accomplish, adding she's hopeful she'll win her seat. She's currently up 716 votes over the NDP's Chantelle Bryson in Thunder Bay-Superior North, with Conservative Joshua Taylor 241 votes further back in third.
In Thunder Bay-Rainy River, the NDP's Yuk-Sem Won holds a 114-vote lead over Liberal incumbent Marcus Powlowski. Conservative Adelina Pecchia is just 151 votes back.
Nationally, the Liberals are leading and elected in 144 seats, compared to 117 for the Conservatives, 28 for the Bloc Quebecois and 26 for the NDP.
