“It’s been a tough one.”
Those were the words from newly re-elected Conservative MP Randy Hoback as the results rolled in from Canada’s 45th federal election Monday evening.
In the constituency of Prince Albert, Hoback cruised to re-election with 71.6 per cent of the vote, nearly 20,000 votes more than second place finisher Christopher Hadubiak of the Liberals.
Nationwide, however, there was disappointment for Conservatives, as Canadians re-elected another Liberal minority government with 96 per cent of polls reporting.
“We were 25 points ahead going into two months ago, so this is a tough pill to swallow,” Hoback said in an interview from his campaign headquarters in Prince Albert. “People wanted a majority Conservative government, especially in the riding of Prince Albert, especially in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and I think they wanted it across Canada, but a combination of a new leader and Trump interfering in the election all played a role in creating doubt and uncertainty in the voters’ mind.”
There was still plenty of uncertainty as midnight approached on Monday, but the Liberals under Prime Minster Mark Carney appeared to be in the driver’s seat. Election Canada results showed the Liberals elected in leading in 166 ridings, compared to 146 for the Conservatives, 23 for the Bloc Quebecois, seven for the NDP, and one for the Green Party. The Liberals needed 172 seats for a majority.
As of press time, the Liberals led the popular vote with 43.2 per cent, compared to 41.7 per cent for the Conservatives.
Although there will likely be a few recounts in the days ahead, Hoback said the Conservative Party has to go back and analyse their performance over the last few months to “start listening again to Canadians and what they want to see for priorities as we move forward.”
When asked if comments from United States President Donald Trump had an impact on the election, Hoback said it was hard to know.
“It comes back to your demographics. If you’re an older senior who’s living on pensions, stocks and bonds and the markets, yeah, as we’ve seen the markets move back and forth, it definitely created a lot of anxiety with the retirees for sure, and that definitely had a position in how they voted this time. If you’re a younger Canadian and you’re struggling to pay the bills and you want to start a family and buy a house, well those are a different set of issues in regards to affordability.”
Hoback said crime and affordability were the two biggest issues he heard about as he knocked on doors during the campaign. In Prince Albert, homelessness was the biggest issue, he said, along with addictions and mental health, while crime was more of a concern for rural voters. Affordability, he said, was an issue that crossed the rural/urban divide.
Now that he’s heading back to Ottawa, Hoback said crime and U.S. tariffs will be priorities when Parliament returns. He’d like to see changes to legislation that puts criminals behind bars for longer periods. On the tariff front, he wants more done to alleviate the hit farmers took when China placed tariffs on canola products, and action from Prime Minister Mark Carney to defend the country from U.S. trade policy.
Hoback was one of many Saskatchewan Conservative incumbents who improved on their popular vote share from 2021, but the party failed to win all 13 of the province’s seats.
Former NDP MLA Buckley Belanger ran for the Liberals in Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River and was elected with 65.2 per cent of the vote. Former Saskatchewan Party MLA Jim Lemaigre, now running for the Conservatives, finished in second with 25.6 per cent of the vote, while the NDP’s Doug Racine finished third with 9.2 per cent.
Hoback gave a short speech to friends, family, and campaign volunteers during an election watch party Monday night. During the speech, Hoback said the Conservative Party would stay positive and move forward.
Prince Albert results from Elections Canada as of 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 28:
1. Randy Hoback (Conservative) – 26,454 (71.8 per cent)
2. Christopher Hadubiak (Liberal) – 6,979 (18.9 per cent)
3. Virginia Kutzan (NDP) – 3,400 (9.2 per cent)
174 of 176 polls reporting
Voter turnout: 36,833 of 62,438 registered electors (58.99 per cent)
National results from Elections Canada as of 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 28:
1. Liberals – 167 electoral districts leading or elected, 43. 1 per cent of popular vote
2. Conservatives – 145 electoral districts leading or elected, 41.7 per cent of popular vote
3. Bloc Quebecois – 23 electoral districts leading or elected, 6.7 per cent of popular vote
4. NDP – seven electoral districts leading or elected, 6.1 per cent of the popular vote
5. Green Party – one electoral district leading or elected, 1.2 per cent of the popular vote.
