It appears Justin Trudeau's hopes for a majority government have been quashed, but his Liberals will remain in power.
The Liberal Party is projected to win the federal election with enough seats to form a minority government. With no change in the status quo, Trudeau's Liberals will still need support from one or more of the opposition parties to pass legislation.
The Liberals won, were leading in, or are projected to win 156 seats as Monday just before midnight, with Erin O'Toole’s Conservative Party forming the official opposition with 123 seats.
The Liberals needed at least 170 federal ridings to form a majority government. The Liberals held 155 seats at the dissolution of the previous Parliament last month.
The NDP under Leader Jagmeet Singh has earned a total of 28 seats, a slight increase from the previously held 24 seats. The Bloc Québécois is projected to lose three seats, dropping from 32 to 29, while the Green Party appears to have retained its two seats. The Peoples Party of Canada held no seats as of 11:50 p.m.
Elections Canada has issued more than 1.2 million special ballot kits to voters living in Canada who plan to vote by mail or at an Elections Canada office. The agency has stated that it will not begin counting the mail-in ballots until Tuesday, which could delay the official results of the election.
Trudeau triggered the election on August 15 leading to a 36-day campaign, which is the shortest possible election period under federal law.