Ignatieff loses seat as Liberals decimated in Toronto

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff could not even hold onto his own Toronto riding on Monday, as the surging NDP and dominant Conservatives cut swaths through the Liberal's Toronto stronghold.

Ignatieff lost his Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding to Conservative Bernard Trottier late Monday night, becoming the most prominent of several high-profile Liberals who couldn't hold onto their seats in the House of Commons.

"It's tough to lose like this but it's terribly important to remember the happiness of politics, to remember those moments when we felt we inspired each other," Ignatieff said during a concession speech. "The moments we felt we felt we caught the true essence of the country. That's what political leadership is for. Defeat is hard, painful, difficult. Lets all remember the love for our country, and devotion to public service."

Ignatieff's stunning loss highlighted a dismal Liberal performance across the country and specifically in the Toronto area, where voters abandoned the struggling party in droves.

In Ontario, where the Liberals had held 32 of the province's 106 ridings, they were reduced to 11.

The Conservatives exploded to 73 Ontario seats from the 52 they held before the writ was dropped, while the NDP were poised to jump to 22 from 17.

The Liberal collapse was more prominent in Toronto's 23 ridings, which they held with near-unanimity before Monday night's vote.

In Toronto, the Liberals had held 21 of 23 possible seats, with Layton and his wife, Olivia Chow, holding the others.

By Tuesday, the Liberals were set to lose all but six of those posts. The Conservatives had claimed nine ridings and the NDP had won eight.

The changing tide stripped several prominent Liberals of their seats in the House, including former NHL goaltender Ken Dryden, longtime mainstay Joe Volpe and former Liberal leadership candidate Gerard Kennedy.

Dryden, who had held the York Centre riding since 2004, lost his riding to a Conservative candidate, as Mark Adler became one of several Tory candidates to break into the coveted 416 region.

Volpe also paid the price for a struggling national Liberal campaign on Monday, losing his seat to Tory Joe Oliver.

Volpe faced off against Oliver in 2008 and managed to hold onto his seat by some 2,000 votes. That tight race came after dominating rivals since he was first elected in 1988.

With Stephen Harper's party picking up momentum through Ontario, the Conservatives won a majority government.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford congratulated Harper Monday night, and thanked Torontonians who had voted in the federal election.

"Congratulations to Stephen Harper on his re-election as Canada's Prime Minister. I look forward to our continued, positive working relationship with the federal government focusing on the transportation and economic priorities of the residents of Toronto," Ford said in a statement.

While Conservatives nipped from the right, Jack Layton and his NDP were taking Liberal Toronto seats from the left.

With Layton's face at the front of a nationwide wave of popular support, there was little doubt the NDP leader would hold his Toronto riding; but his popularity opened the doors for an Orange wave to hit Canada's largest city.

Layton held on to his Toronto Danforth riding with ease, outpacing Liberal Andrew Lang early Monday evening. Conservative Katarina Von Koenig, essentially a no-show on the campaign trail, trailed in third.

Layton's party was poised to rattle the Liberal's Toronto stronghold on the strength of a popular uprising that began in Quebec.

"Canadians have asked New Democrats to take on more responsibility in Parliament," Layton said. "For the first time in our history, they have asked us to serve as Canada's official opposition. We're going to work very hard as New Democrats in the House of Commons to earn the trust Canadians have entrusted in us.

Several other NDP candidates were eyeing victory in Monday night's vote count.

Former NDP MP Peggy Nash reclaimed Parkdale-High Park, a Liberal riding that had been won by Gerard Kennedy in the 2008 vote. Nash had represented the region in Ottawa between 2006 and 2008, when Kennedy claimed the west-end riding for the Grits.

NDP candidate Andrew Cash also won in Davenport, knocking Liberal incumbent Mario Silva from a seat he had held since 2004.

Olivia Chow held onto her downtown Trinity-Spadina riding, which she took from Liberal Tony Ianno in 2006. Chow beat Ianno's wife, Christine Innes, in a competitive race on Monday.

"I am so proud to be a New Democrat. I am so proud of our team and of my family and friends," Chow said to a roaring crowd at Toronto's Metro Convention Centre, dressed prominently in orange.

The Toronto area sat in a political maelstrom, caught between its Liberal roots, Conservative visions of a majority government and a rising Orange tide. How the seats settled will play an important role in how the country's next government is shaped.

The Liberals held onto Toronto Centre, which may have been one of the safest Liberal seats in the country. Liberal Bob Rae took the riding with a sweeping mandate in 2008 and was projected to win in similar fashion Monday night.

Rae was sombre on Monday as he weighed his personal victory with the losses his party faced across the country.

"Frankly I congratulate those who now represent a future, much more progressive. Many of my Liberal colleagues that didn't do good, those are dear friends. I regret the fact that they weren't re-elected. I know they will continue to contribute to public life," Rae told a crowd of supporters in downtown Toronto.

Liberals Judy Sgro (York West), Jim Karygiannis (Scarborough-Agincourt), Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul's) and Kirsty Duncan (Etobicoke North) also held their Toronto ridings on Monday.