NDP's Desjarlais holds lead over Conservative Diotte in narrow Edmonton-Griesbach battle
New Democrat candidate Blake Desjarlais holds a narrow lead over incumbent Kerry Diotte in Edmonton-Griesbach after the initial count Monday night, but the race remains too close to call according to CTV News projections.
With 231 out of 232 polls reporting early Tuesday morning, Desjarlais led by just over 1,000 votes.
The Canadian Press called the race for Desjarlais earlier Monday night.
Desjarlais declined to speak to media Tuesday morning but posted to Twitter later in the day thanking his campaign team and stating that he was "deeply honoured by the confidence that the voters of Edmonton Griesbach have shown in me."
Diotte declined comment to CTV News on Tuesday morning.
- Federal election 2021: Results for all 34 Alberta ridings, 2 races too close to call
- 3 Edmonton ridings to watch on election night
Liberal candidate Habiba Mohamud will finish third, followed by the People Party of Canada’s Thomas Matty.
The final vote tally will be determined later Tuesday or early Wednesday as Elections Canada counts 1,746 remaining mail-in ballots.
Diotte won the riding when it was first contested in 2015 and then again in 2019 when he received more than 51 per cent of the vote.
The former Edmonton city councillor and newspaper columnist had served as the Tories' deputy critic for national revenue and public procurement.
Desjarlais, 27, was seeking to reverse a trend that saw voting support for the NDP fall over the last two elections: from 34 per cent of votes in 2015, down to 25 per cent in 2019.
If elected he would become Alberta’s only Indigenous MP and is also believed to be Canada's first openly two-spirited MP .
A Desjarlais win would be the result of a focused effort from the party, says Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt.
"Greisbach has never been in play before," he said. " It was a combination of recruiting a star NDP candidate with the full cooperation of both the federal NDP and the provincial NDP and they don’t often get along."
Federal party leader Jagmeet Singh visited the riding twice during the campaign and a number of provincial NDP representatives, including Opposition leader and former premier Rachel Notely, campaigned there as well.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.