Canada election: Trudeau to address Liberal victory rally

(BBC) – Supporters of Canada’s centrist Liberal Party are to hold a huge rally after a decisive election win that ends almost a decade of Conservative rule.

Party leader Justin Trudeau, who will become prime minister, is due to address a jubilant crowd in Ottawa.

The Liberals began the campaign in third place but in a stunning turnaround now command a majority.

Mr. Trudeau, the 43-year-old son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, said Canadians had voted for real change.

Incumbent Conservative PM Stephen Harper – in power since 2006 – has congratulated his rival after Monday’s election.

Addressing jubilant supporters in Montreal overnight, Mr. Trudeau said Canadians had “sent a clear message tonight: it’s time for a change”.

“We beat fear with hope, we beat cynicism with hard work. Most of all we defeated the idea that Canadians should be satisfied with less.

“This is what positive politics can do,” he said, also praising Mr. Harper for his service to the country.

During the 11-week election campaign, the Liberal Party said it would:

• Cut income taxes for middle-class Canadians while increasing them for the wealthy
• Run deficits for three years to pay for infrastructure spending
• Do more to address environmental concerns over the controversial Keystone oil pipeline
• Take in more Syrian refugees, and pull out of bombing raids against Islamic State while bolstering training for Iraqi forces
• Legalize marijuana