National News

The federal riding of Terrebonne in Quebec has gone from the Liberals' win column back to the Bloc Québécois after a postelection vote validation process.

Bloc candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, who had represented the riding since 2021, said in a social media post that she came out with a lead of 44 votes and that a judicial recount will take place.

"For someone to be officially elected, you have to wait until the end of this process," Sinclair-Desgagné wrote in French. "I hope to have the honour of representing Terrebonne again in the coming years."

Conservative MP Damien Kurek is set to step aside to allow Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to run in a byelection in the Battle River—Crowfoot riding in Alberta.

Kurek says he is "temporarily" stepping aside as MP for the riding, which he has held since 2019.

The Conservative party confirms that Poilievre will run in the Battle River—Crowfoot byelection once it's called.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he’s a true Canadian but wouldn’t stop a public vote on separating from the country if it came forward.

Moe says residents are allowed to trigger provincial legislation for a plebiscite on the issue.

He says he does not judge people for having different opinions, but says he supports a united Canada.

Saskatchewan law allows the public to bring forward a petition for a plebiscite as long as 15 per cent of eligible voters sign on.

Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says Moe should rule out a vote on separation.

Communal grief following the ramming attack at a Filipino festival in Vancouver that killed 11 people on the weekend will likely persist for months, mental health experts in British Columbia warn. 

"Traumatic events, grief, is not something that is resolved in a week or two weeks, or a couple of months," said Heather Mohan, a clinical counsellor and executive director of the charity Lumara Grief and Bereavement Care Society.

Some Conservative MPs are expressing support for party leader Pierre Poilievre after he lost both the federal election and his own seat on Monday.

In his concession speech early Tuesday morning, Poilievre indicated he would stay on as leader. The Conservative party did not respond when asked Wednesday whether he has officially decided to stay.

"My view is he's not going anywhere," said Kory Teneycke, Ontario Premier Doug Ford's former campaign manager and a former director of communications for former prime minister Stephen Harper.

A group trying to make a case for electoral reform by creating very long ballots is declaring victory in this week's election — even as critics accuse it of indulging in stunts that undermine democracy.

"It's been a success," said Mark Moutter, one of dozens of protest candidates who ran in the Ottawa riding of Carleton.

"I've never seen people looking more optimistically at electoral reform, ever."

The Liberals rose from the ashes under Prime Minister Mark Carney in a stunning reversal of fortunes this year, but the party's failure to sweep many of the ridings it sought Monday night denied it a resounding majority mandate.

A big part of that failure happened in Ontario, where the party lost many incumbents — even as Carney called for a strong mandate to deal with the threat posed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Elections Canada says more than 68 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the federal election — more than 19.5 million people.

While this election was widely expected to see increased turnout, it did not surpass the record set in March 1958, when 79.4 per cent of eligible Canadians voted.

But the nearly 68.7 per cent turnout was the best since the 1993 federal election, which saw 69.6 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will not have a seat in the next Parliament, after a stunning upset by Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy in the riding of Carleton. 

Poilievre's loss raises a host of questions about his ability to continue with the Conservative party leadership, and the role he will play as the House of Commons reconvenes. 

In his concession speech on election night, Poilievre pledged that Conservatives will "do our constitutional duty of holding government to account and proposing better alternatives." 

Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to unite the country and govern for all after Canadians handed the Liberals a fourth consecutive mandate in Monday's federal election.

"Who is ready," he shouted to cheers and applause and people chanting his name in a crowded hockey arena in Ottawa in the wee hours of the morning. "Who is ready? Who is ready to stand up for Canada with me? And who is ready to build Canada strong?"