We'll be getting underway at 10 pm, when the polls close in B.C. Results chatter is blacked out until then.
This is kind of like new year's eve. The countdowns, the idiotic television commentary...
Polls just closed everywhere but B.C. We won't discuss results until 10 pm EST, but in the meantime there's plenty to say about Peter Mansbridge's tie. It's blue. Is that a message?\
P.S. While my name will be on the posts that appear live from THIS Magazine election night HQ at The Rivoli in Toronto, I'm not necessarily the one typing; the blog squad is using one account and switching off in shifts throughout the night.
I'll be blogging from Montreal -- at least until I get too tired and go to bed. I wasn't invited to the party in TO (AKA center of the universe.)
OK, polls are closed in B.C.
So Elizabeth May has conceded in Central Nova. 17,000 for Peter MacKay to 11,000 for the Green leader.
Go NDP, way to pick up some seats.
Harper's Quebec lieutenant Michael Fortier is trailing Bloc incumbent Meili Faille. Fortier made a few missteps in the campaign that may burn him tonight.
The pundits look kind of like they're piloting the starship enterprise.
CTV has projected a conservative minority government. Ummm, why did we just have another election?
The mood in the room here is a little tense as the Conservative numbers tick up. But the night is young.
Maxime Bernier is being interviewed on Radio Canada. He's asked about Julie Couillard and says he putting that all behind him. Meanwhile she's thrown everything but the kitchen sink at him in her tell-all book.
The Radio Canada set-up is much more low key than Starship Central.
Peter Mansbridge intones seriously that this will be another Conservative government. But a majority or a minority?
This chart has the magical golden seat that gets the Conservatives to a majority.
And Jim Flaherty is elected again.
Christine Innes and Olivia Chow are in a dead heat at the moment. Again, early, but that's notable for an NDP stalwart.
Iggy's ahead in Etobicoke-Lakeshore.
Conservatives not doing well in Quebec. Liberal's and Bloc are having it out. In swing riding of Jeanne Le Ber (my riding) Liberal is in the lead, may take the riding away from Bloc incumbent.
Lisa Raitt, former Toronto Port Authority boss, is leading in Halton.
Why are the Quebec votes taking so long to be counted?
Jack Layton's ahead in Toronto Danforth. No surprise there.
And Dion's safe.
Stephen Harper has a decisive lead in Calgary Southwest, although they haven't declared it for him.
Now Olivia Chow leads Christine Innes. A real horse race.
NDP seats looking up — won or leading 34, an improvement. Slight one, but still.
I guess the party's more fun than blogging tonight.
Well, the bar is doing pretty good business here.
I don't know if that means it's more 'fun,' though.
Looks like Hamilton's gone totally NDP.
A friend just text-messaged me: "Most. Depressing. Live blog. Ever."
Wow, Garth Turner might be out. That's quite a blow to the Liberals.
OK: Seat count at 10:42, according to CBC: Conservative 142, Libs 78, BQ 47, NDP 33, Other 3.
We're not in majority territory at the moment. I don't see how the Conservatives get there, at this point. Am I crazy?
If they get to majority, it'll be a really anemic one, no?
The results at this point aren't decisive, but that means that they're not, well, decisive. If the Cons were going to get a majority, they would have had to come screaming out of the gates tonight, and that hasn't happened, from what I see.
CBC predicts Conservative minority gov't.
Kind of an anticlimax.
CTV also predicts minority gov't.
By the way, the three "other" candidates are all independents, not Greens, or, like, Communists.
Oops, now it's two independents.
Anne Lagace Dowson lost to first Canadian man in space in Westmount St Louis.
If it weren't for Quebec there would have been a Conservative majority.
Ok, I've seen enough. I'll wake up to the post mortem tomorrow. Congrats on the new job Graham, have a drink on me!
Ouch. The "CBC TV reads Twitter to you" segment was super-painful.
Was that powerpoint?
I think that's time to call it a night. To sum up: The Conservatives get a small gain, but not enough to form a majority. The Liberals take a loss — enough to force Dion to step down? (not tonight, but soon). Bloc Quebecois stays pretty much the same. NDP makes the biggest proportional gain, at the expense of the Liberals.
Look for a postmortem on the blog tomorrow. Good night, everyone.
Dominique Jarry-Shore
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