Canadian media projected PM Trudeau a winner

In an exit poll, couducted by CBC News, has projected that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals were on track to win the Canadian election. Trudeau called the snap election last month, hoping to parlay a smooth Covid-19 vaccine rollout -- among the best in the world -- into a new mandate to steer the nation's pandemic exit. Polls have closed in Canada’s snap federal election, which saw Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in a neck-and-neck fight against the opposition Conservative Party. More than 27 million people were eligible to cast their ballots, according to Elections Canada, which administers the vote.

The Liberals were polling at 31.4 percent support on the eve of Election Day, according to CBC News’s Poll Tracker, which aggregates all public polling data, compared with 30.9 percent for the Conservatives and 20 percent for the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) in third place. But neither the Liberals nor Conservatives are expected to secure a majority government. The Liberals are projected to win the most seats in parliament. The House of Commons holds 338 seats and a party needs to win 170 to hold a majority.

Polls reported results much more slowly than usual, with some stations forced to limit occupancy due to COVID-19 restrictions. Long lines forced some electors to wait hours to vote in southern Ontario, a critical battleground.  The Canadian dollar strengthened as early results came in, rising 0.4%. A delay in counting mail-in votes could further hold up results in tight races.The Canadian dollar strengthened as early results came in, rising 0.4%. A delay in counting mail-in votes could further hold up results in tight races.