Canada election 2025: Polls close in easternmost province of Newfoundland and Labrador

CANADA: The polls in Canada’s 2025 federal election have officially closed in the easternmost province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Al Jazeera reported.

Results from the province are expected shortly, providing the first glimpse into how the race is shaping up. Next, polls closed in the Atlantic provinces–Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island at 8:30 pm Atlantic Time (23:30 GMT).

Voters in the more populous provinces of Ontario and Quebec, along with Alberta, still have about two more hours before their polls close, leaving much of the national picture to unfold, as per Al Jazeera.In the lead-up to election day, polling suggested a close race between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party.

According to CBC’s tracker, the Liberals were polling at nearly 43 per cent, while the Conservatives trailed closely at just over 39 per cent. The New Democratic Party (NDP) was in third with about 9 per cent support, followed by the Bloc Quebecois at 6 per cent.

According to Al Jazeera, this election marks a significant leadership change for the Liberals. In March, Mark Carne was selected as Trudeau’s successor as head of the Liberal Party. While he has pitched himself as a political outsider, Carney, an economist and former central banker, had served as an adviser to the Liberal Party under Trudeau.

On the other side, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, a longtime member of Parliament, tapped into popular discontent with Trudeau and the Liberals, hitting them on cost-of-living issues, immigration, and hot-button cultural topics.

Here are the opening and closing times for each zone, according to Elections Canada New foundland and Labrador Time: 8:30 pm (23:00 GMT), Atlantic Time: 8:30pm (23:30 GMT), Eastern Time: 9:30pm (01:30 GMT), Central Time*: 8:30pm (01:30 GMT), Mountain Time*: 7:30pm (01:30 GMT), Pacific Time: 7:00pm (02:00 GMT).

In Saskatchewan, which shares two time zones, polls close at 7:30pm. Now, it’s time for voters to decide whether to grant interim Prime Minister Mark Carney a full four-year mandate or give the Conservative Party a turn at the wheel after more than nine years of Liberal Party government. (ANI)