Squeaker breaks Liberal monopoly on P.E.I.

Last Updated: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 | 8:40 AM ET

CBC News

A corner of the red Island is coloured Tory blue Wednesday morning for the first time in 20 years.

'[The Green Shift] really scares people.'— Liberal candidate Keith Milligan

Gail Shea put an end to two decades of Liberal dominance in federal politics on P.E.I. by winning the riding of Egmont by just 62 votes.

The lead shifted several times as the polls were counted, and was not decided until the last one was posted.

"It feels so good because this has been such a long road," said Shea.

"The campaign might have been 36 days for some people.… We have been at this since January, we met on a weekly basis."

With more than 18,000 votes counted, Shea beat Liberal candidate Keith Milligan, a former premier, by less than half a percentage point.

Green Shift sinks Milligan

While Shea has been campaigning all year, Milligan got off to a late start. Robert Morrissey was the original candidate, but dropped out in early August.

The late start might have hurt him, said Milligan, but he believes it was the Liberal Green Shift plan that did him in.

"That really scares people," he said.

"No matter how you try to explain it, or no matter how good it could have been, it just wasn't going to be sold."

The Green Shift would have raised taxes on fossil fuels while decreasing other taxes, with the aim of being revenue neutral for the government.

Federal elections on P.E.I. are typically two-way races, but the NDP and Greens could well have had an impact in Egmont. The two parties shared nearly 2,300 votes — almost 40 times the margin of victory — a vote split on the left that worked in Shea's favour.

A cabinet seat?

The numbers aren't close enough to prompt an automatic recount from Elections Canada but Milligan could ask for one. He said he'll make that decision Wednesday.

Part of the Tory campaign on P.E.I. stressed the importance of having an MP on the government side of the House. There has been a lot of speculation that if Shea won her seat she would be in line for a cabinet position.

Shea said Tuesday night she has no expectations.

One of her first priorities as MP, she said, will be to bring a new grandstand to the Summerside Raceway in time for the 2009 Canada Games.

Internal Links

Liberals cruise in 3 of 4 P.E.I. seats
The federal election on P.E.I.: Stories, issues and discussion
Egmont results
Canada Votes

Overall Results

Overall Election Results
Party	Elected	Leading	Total	Vote Share (%)
Updated: Nov. 7, 2008, 5:00 PM EST
CON	143	0	143	37.63
LIB	77	0	77	26.24
BQ	49	0	49	9.97
NDP	37	0	37	18.20
IND	2	0	2	0.65
GRN	0	0	0	6.80
OTH	0	0	0	0.51

Choose a format to view results for all ridings and parties:

Launch interactive map Results tables

Unofficial results were updated at the time shown following judicial recounts in six ridings. For more recent results, visit Elections Canada. The CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. External links will open in a new window.

My Riding & Riding Talk

Get the latest voting results for your riding. Have your say about what's important in your own riding. Read profiles about your candidates, get riding-related information and join the debate.

Back

Change My Riding List All Ridings

Canada Votes

In detail

Interactive results map: Click the map to zoom in on a riding or region
Ridings list: List all ridings in every province
Close contests: Exciting races to watch, right down to the wire

Video

Leaders' speeches: Video of the party leaders reacting to the results

Analysis

Complete coverage of the election: Stories, issues and insight

Your View

Did you have problems voting?
Are minority governments good for Canada?

Canada Votes Headlines »

Harper 'very pleased' with stronger minority: Having secured a stronger minority government in Tuesday's general election, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday he was pleased with the result, despite not having a secured a majority that was once thought to be within his party's grasp.
Bloc leader expects more compromise from PM: Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe says Tuesday night's election results mean Stephen Harper will have to compromise more with the opposition parties, and he should respect his own fixed-date election law by waiting four years before calling another vote.
Voter turnout drops to record low: An estimated 59.1 per cent of Canadians cast votes in Tuesday's general election — a figure that appears to be a record low in the history of Confederation.
Can work with Harper, as long as there's no payback: Williams: Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams said Wednesday he is prepared to work co-operatively with Stephen Harper, largely because the re-elected Conservative prime minister needs to hold together a minority government.
Cultural groups want arts to remain in spotlight after election: After seeing arts funding jostle for the spotlight during the election campaign, the arts community says it will continue to monitor cultural decisions from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's strengthened minority government.

Canada Votes Features

Top CBCNews.ca Headlines

Headlines

Ottawa will stay course on stimulus: Flaherty: Rather than turning off the stimulus taps or pouring more fuel on the economic fire, Ottawa will stand pat with the $61 billion in stimulus spending announced in January, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says.
Flood forces Vancouver Island evacuations: Dozens of homes have water "up to the doorknobs" and others are under evacuation alert after heavy rain combined with high tides to flood low-lying parts of Duncan, B.C., an hour's drive north of Victoria.
Colvin's job safe despite Afghan torture testimony: The Conservatives will not try to remove Richard Colvin from his post in Washington, Defence Minister Peter MacKay says, even though they question the credibility of his testimony on Afghan prisoners.
UN human rights committee votes to censure Iran: A United Nations committee has approved a Canadian-led resolution urging Iran to stop harassing political opponents in the wake of its disputed presidential elections.
1 in 10 Americans deliquent in paying mortgage: New statistics indicate one in 10 American homeowners is now delinquent by at least one mortgage payment and one in seven is now either delinquent or in foreclosure.