Liberals leading across Toronto-area as Canada election results roll in

As votes are counted, the Liberals appear set to form a minority government, with the GTA's stronghold helping offset Conservative gains in suburban ridings.

Voters across the Greater Toronto Area headed to the polls to help choose Canada’s next prime minister in what is shaping up to be one of the most closely-watched federal election in recent memory.

As polls began reporting results, early numbers showed the Liberal Party were maintaining a lead across the GTA, continuing a trend that has largely held since 2015.

Despite a notable Conservative surge in national support, which was seen during recent byelections, the vote-rich GTA appears to be holding onto its traditional red wall as Global News projects a Liberal government.

With 122 of Canada’s 343 ridings located in Ontario, and 52 of those clustered in the GTA, the region is considered a key route to electoral victory and one of the most competitive ridings in the province.

In the run-up to the vote, both Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made Ontario central to their campaigns.

Carney focused on urban ridings like Scarborough, Windsor, and Cambridge, while Poilievre rallied in Vaughan, Brampton, Kingston, and Oakville.

Historically, downtown Toronto has remained a Liberal stronghold, with familiar red sweeps across the urban region, while Conservatives have traditionally performed well across rural Ontario as the more north from GTA you go, the more blue you tend to see.

The Liberal party also appears to be reclaiming territory lost in the previous byelection, seen in the Toronto–St. Paul’s area, where Leslie Church has taken the seat back from the Conservatives, which secured it in a byelection last year.