Canada election: Liberals head for historic victory
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AFP
Canada's opposition Liberal Party is heading for victory in parliamentary elections, ending nine years of Conservative rule, early results show.
The Liberals, led by Justin Trudeau, are leading in 191 electoral districts.
The son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now poised to form a majority government, Canada's CBC and CTV networks predict.
Incumbent Conservative PM Stephen Harper - who is fighting for a fourth term - is leading in 104 districts.
The left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) is in the third place - ahead in 32 districts.
To form a majority government, a party needs 170 seats in the 338-member parliament.
'Sea of change'
Voting hours were staggered across the country and polls opened in Newfoundland at 08:30 local time (11:00 GMT). Polls closed in the west of the country at 19:00 (02:00 GMT).
It was one of the longest and possibly closest election campaigns in Canada's history, with leaders criss-crossing the country to try to sway undecided voters.
Early counts in the eastern provinces show the Liberals ahead in all 32 seat races there.
As the results began pouring in, former Conservative Justice Minister Peter MacKay said: "A sea of change here. We are used to high tides in Atlantic Canada. This is not what we hoped for."
The Conservatives are now in danger of losing all 13 seats they held in Atlantic Canada in 2011.
In a remarkable turnaround, the Liberals - who held only 36 seats before the election - are now expected to form a majority cabinet.
At the scene: BBC's Anthony Zurcher, Liberal HQ in Montreal
It was a fairly empty room here at Liberal Party campaign headquarters when Canadian television announced that Justin Trudeau would be the next prime minster of Canada - but those in attendance cheered heartily when they heard the news.
It hasn't taken long for supporters to begin showing up in droves, however, crowding around a stage bathed in Liberal Party red, in anticipation of a Justin Trudeau victory speech sometime later tonight.
As national television cameras broadcast the scene, one supporter shouted: "Vive Justin Trudeau! Vive Canada!"
"It feels fantastic," said Michael Wright, who drove to the Montreal from Ottawa because he believed Liberals were poised for victory.
Like many of the Canadian voters who recently told pollsters they were opting for change, he says he's happiest about Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's impending defeat.
"I wish him luck in his gardening in Alberta," he says with a laugh.
Mr Trudeau, 43, started the race in third place but the Liberals took the lead in opinion polls in a late surge.
He has campaigned on a promise of change, urging voters ahead of the polling day to "come together as a country".
Mr Trudeau's father, Pierre, is considered the father of modern Canada.
Mr Harper, 56, portrayed himself as the steady hand who could steer Canada's troubled economy back on track.
His campaign ran TV advertisements saying that Mr Trudeau was "just not ready" to take office.
"Every single vote for a Conservative candidate is a vote to protect our economy against Liberal and NDP deficits and taxes," Mr Harper told supporters in Regina, Saskatchewan, on Sunday.
As polls opened, he tweeted that a vote for the Conservatives would "protect Canadian jobs and our economy".
