Tories sweep Alberta, tightening grip on Prairies
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 | 2:17 AM ET
CBC News
The Tories won 48 out of 56 seats in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, compared to five for the Liberals and three for the New Democrats.
As expected, Conservative Leader and prime minister-designate Stephen Harper easily kept his seat in Calgary Southwest.
The Liberals and NDP each lost one seat overall from the 2004 federal election.
Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan waits to begin a television news interview at a community hall in Edmonton on Monday. (CP photo)
The Liberals also saw their share of the popular vote eroded on the Prairies, dropping by 6.4 percentage points to 19 per cent.
Most of the votes flowed to the Tories, whose share climbed by 4.2 percentage points to 57.1 per cent. The NDP also gained slightly, climbing by 1.7 percentage points to capture 17 per cent of the popular vote.
Tories topple two Liberal ridings in Alberta
Ralph Goodale gets a hug from his wife Pam after giving his speech at his campaign office in Regina. (CP photo)
The Tories made a clean sweep in Alberta, toppling the Liberals from the two ridings they won in 2004.
McLellan, deputy prime minister under Paul Martin's government, was Alberta's lone sitting Liberal in 2006, after David Kilgour left the party to sit as an Independent.
McLellan was ousted in the riding of Edmonton Centre by Tory Laurie Hawn, a former fighter pilot, who led by more than 3,500 votes.
The other Alberta upset came in Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont, which was considered a wildcard once Kilgour said he was retiring after representing the riding for 26 years as a Tory, a Liberal and an Independent.
Conservative Mike Lake won the riding with more than 17,000 more votes than his Liberal rival, Amarjit Grewal.
Liberals gain in Saskatchewan
In Saskatchewan, the Tories lost a seat, capturing 12, while the Liberals took two.
In the northern riding of Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River, Liberal Gary Merasty squeaked out a 110-vote victory over the Tory incumbent, Jeremy Harrison.
In another closely watched race, Ralph Goodale – the finance minister in Martin's government – won a third consecutive victory in Wascana, a riding that includes the southeast portion of Regina and many small rural communities
Goodale faced calls for his resignation in mid-campaign over the income trust issue, but his personal popularity among voters prevailed as he finished with a lead of more than 8,500 votes.
NDP lose seat in Manitoba
In Manitoba, the Tories gained a seat overall, finishing with eight seats compared with three each for the Liberals and New Democrats, who lost a seat.
It took hours to get a final result from Winnipeg South, where the lead flip-flopped for hours between Alcock – who was president of the Treasury Board and minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board under Martin – and his Tory challenger.
Tory Rod Bruinooge won by a mere 110 votes.
The Liberals lost Winnipeg South but gained in the northern riding of Churchill, where Tina Keeper – an actor and native-rights activist who was running for the first time – defeated incumbent Bev Desjarlais.
Desjarlais had represented Churchill as a New Democrat for eight years, but lost the NDP nomination in the riding after voting against the federal same-sex marriage bill. She ran as an Independent.
