Also see more Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon coverage here
Watch this story for live updates from the camp of Jati Sidhu, where the Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon Liberal candidate and supporters are watching results come in.
FINAL RESULTS: With 16,264 votes for Jati Sidhu, he’s the winner of the Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon riding. Conservative Brad Vis came in second with 15,109 votes. In third was NDP candidate Dennis Adamson with 8,854. Two polls out of 189 have not yet reported, but Sidhu is the clear winner.
The Abbotsford farmer and community figure is excited to start his new job:
“I feel great. I’m so happy to serve my constituents. That was the whole motive behind running for this job. My job starts tomorrow.”
1:10 a.m.: Jati Sidhu has made his victory speech. Thanks team, is excited to get started in Ottawa. DJ has cued up music — it’s a party now.
12:59: CBC has called the riding for the Liberals. Current results: 15,707 for Jati Sidhu, 14,544 for Brad Vis. 9 of 189 polls left to report.
12:27 a.m.: Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon is the last undecided riding in the country.
12:16 a.m.: We’ve heard from our reporter at the Brad Vis camp that Vis has made a concession speech; his event is shutting down. Jati Sidhu says he’ll wait for official results to all come in before declaring a win.
“I’m still waiting for the results,” Sidhu said. “At least, I need to have a fair margin so I can make my speech…there’s still 20 more polls to go yet. Another 10 minutes, I guess. They have started coming in now. I’m very confident.”
11:53 p.m.: Still no clear results; campaign staffer takes the mic to hype up the crowd — and remind everyone to get home safe.
10:55p.m.: Jati Sidhu back in the lead after briefly losing it to Vis. 11,926 votes for Sidhu, 11,789 for Vis, with 150 of 189 polls reporting.
10:51 p.m.: After a tight race with Jati Sidhu in a slight lead for the past hour-plus, Brad Vis has pulled ahead with 11080 votes to Sidhu’s 10845; 148 of 189 polls are reporting.
9:56 p.m.: Results still close; 8,760 Jati Sidhu, 8,142 Brad Vis with 114 of 189 polls reporting.
Sidhu, on the Liberals forming government: “The feeling can’t get any better. We wanted change, and we got change.”
Sidhu, on the MMFC race: “I’m very optimistic. I couldn’t have done any better. We ran a very clean campaign. I’m feeling very, very fortunate to have the team around me…I’ll live with the results.
“Hopefully it’ll come true. I’d like to be part of the government. I want to serve my community.”
9:28 p.m.: Jati Sidhu and Brad Vis race still tight, crowd has been cheering every time Sidhu pulls ahead. Crowd is raptly listening to Justin Trudeau’s victory speech.
8:40 p.m.: Jati Sidhu arrives at the hall and meets supporters. Current polls for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon show Brad Vis pulling ahead with 2,902 votes to Sidhu’s 2,722 with 40 of 189 polls reporting. Sidhu says he’s hopeful the seat will be his.
8:15 p.m.: With 15 of 189 polls reporting, Jati Sidhu is leading Brad Vis 815 to 803. Sidhu supporter Ebrahim Jadwet explains how he feels about the results so far:
“I always wanted the Liberals to win… I met Justin many times, and he’s very personable, very happy today,” Jadwet said. “It’s been so long, so many years we had Harper, I feel a lot of people in the East Indian community, they had sentiments which were anti-Harper sentiments. So, all the anti-Harper vote went to Liberals.”
8:02 p.m.: Jati Sidhu and Brad Vis are in a dead heat with just 8 of 189 Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon polls reporting: Vis has 399 votes, Sidhu 356.
7:54 p.m.: Early polls in the riding show Conservative Brad Vis in the lead with Sidhu in second. Sidhu still not yet at the event, campaign staff say he’ll be here soon. Sidhu campaign staff say Abbotsford Liberal candidate Peter Njenga, who was
7:40 p.m.: Room erupts in clapping and cheers as CBC calls a majority Liberal government. Sidhu has not yet arrived.
7:36 p.m.: Still no poll results available for this riding. Sidhu’s team say he is expected to arrive at 7:45 or later, depending on how the polls for this riding return. Room is full of supporters, many eating from a full buffet.
7:04 p.m.: Polls have closed in British Columbia, no results yet available for this riding. The strong showing for the Liberals across the rest of the country has Allan O’Connor, the policy chair for Sidhu’s riding association, feeling very good:
“I was in the Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission team last time, when we got 34 seats, so from how I felt then to here, it feels great,” O’Connor said.
6:51 p.m.: Early returns — and non-embargoed results — mean national media is reporting results, and calling the election, before B.C. polls close. CBC, CTV and Global have all now called the election for a Liberal government. Supporters are trickling in to Sidhu’s event at Abbotsford Banquet Centre, in central Abbotsford, but neither Sidhu nor Abbotsford Liberal candidate Peter Njenga are yet on site. Supporters are excited over the the early call of a Liberal victory.
