Simcoe-Grey MP Terry Dowdall has been elected for a second term, but still maintains the election was unnecessary.
Dowdall has been watching election results from the Memories restaurant at Living Waters resort this evening (Sept. 20). He was declared winner of the riding after about 50 poll results.
Nationally, results so far indicate another Liberal minority government.
"It's depressing ... we're in the exact same spot," said Dowdall. "This was a big waste of money and a waste of time."
In the 2019 election, the Liberal party won a minority government with 157 seats. Currently the Liberal party is leading or elected in 156 ridings. The Conservative party finished in 2019 with 121 seats. Tonight, it is leading or elected in 123 ridings.
The incumbent MP said steps were taken in the House of Commons to prevent non-confidence votes.
"All the parties brought issues forward for the government to address," said Dowdall. "It was working, there was absolutely no reason to call an election during a pandemic ... to put people at risk."
He was, however, grateful to the local voters for another victory.
"I'm excited to win for sure," he said, noting he would have preferred the Conservative Party of Canada to win more seats. "It's still early, I'm hopeful as more results come in."
Dowdall was also selected as the preferred candidate by Student Vote Canada participants, which are elementary and high school students who participate in shadow votes during federal elections.
"That's big! It's fantastic for the party," said Dowdall. "It shows they're worried about their future."
The student vote did pick a Liberal government overall, but Dowdall for the Simcoe-Grey riding.
