Dick Harris won a historic seventh term with another big win in Cariboo-Prince George, helping the Stephen Harper-led Conservatives secure their much-sought after first majority government.
The NDP surge that netted the party an historic showing nationally that makes them the official opposition, helped make a small dent in Cariboo-Prince George but it was nowhere near enough to make the NDP competitive.
Harris took about 55 per cent of the votes, with the NDP finishing second with about 31 per cent of the vote, an improvement over the previous election for the NDP. Green Party candidate Heidi Redl, whose party won their first seat ever in B.C. with leader Elizabeth May's victory in Saanich-Gulf Islands, finished a distant third. But she was ahead of the Liberal candidate Sangeeta Lalli, a university student parachuted into the riding from Vancouver.
While the NDP won or was leading in 103 seats this evening, the Conservatives grabbed 167 seats across the country, including 21 seats in B.C., for their majority.
"It's wonderful. My greatest fear was to have this country led by a coalition of the (Bloc Quebecois, NDP and Liberals)," said Harris at this campaign office this evening where he celebrated his victory.
The Harper-led Conservatives had stressed in its campaign that another minority Conservative government would lead quickly to another confidence motion defeat in Parliament and thereafter a coalition government.
Harris said the Conservatives will continue to carry out their economic action plan.
