FOG BLOG ELECTION LOG: WELL THE FOG HAS CLEARED AND WITH ALL THE FUSS, TRUDEAU STILL HAS MINORITY!

LOCALLY HERE IN SAINT JOHN AND AREA , WAYNE LONG GOT BACK IN BUT THE CONSERVITIVES MADE SOME GAINS IN NEW BRUNSWICK...Canada's Trudeau wins another minority, sees 'clear mandate to get through this pandemic'.....Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hung onto power on Monday as his main rival conceded defeat, but his Liberals fell short of his goal for a majority win.

Trudeau, in power since 2015 and governing with a minority of House of Commons seats since 2019, decided to gamble on an early vote and capitalise on his government's handling of the pandemic, which included massive spending to support individuals and businesses and a push for high vaccination rates. Instead, he will end up where he started after an unexpectedly tight election race characterised by a lacklustre campaign and voter anger at an election during a pandemic. "You (Canadians) are sending us back to work with a clear mandate to get through this pandemic into brighter days ahead," Trudeau said, flanked by his wife Sophie Gregoire and their children on stage at a victory gala in the early hours of Tuesday. "That's exactly what we are ready to do," he said...Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, whose party placed second, conceded defeat as results trickled in late into the night.

CBC and CTV projected that Trudeau's Liberal government would hold a minority of seats in the House of Commons, meaning he will need another party's support to govern.

Elections Canada showed the Liberals leading in 156 electoral districts nationally, one more than they held before the election, including 111 in vote-rich Ontario and Quebec.

"It's a Groundhog Day election," said Gerald Baier, a professor of political science at University of British Columbia. "It seems that ambivalence has stayed (from the 2019 election)."

The House of Commons holds 338 seats and a party needs to win 170 to hold a majority. The Conservatives led in 121 districts.

The Conservatives looked on track to win the popular vote, attracting 34 percent support to the Liberals' 32 percent, but Liberal support is centred around urban areas where there are more seats..