Ottawa will be well represented in a Conservative majority government, with all incumbents re-elected. But the same can't be said for the Quebec side of the Ottawa River.
The NDP rise in Quebec came true in Gatineau. Conservative cabinet minister Lawrence Cannon lost a tough race with karate instructor and former Communist Party candidate NDP Mathieu Ravignat in Pontiac by about 8,000 votes.
Cannon said his campaign can be proud of what they accomplished in the last several years in the riding, and that everyone should hold their head high.
NDP candidate Francoise Boivin has won in a landslide in Gatineau over Bloc candidate Richard Nadeau. NDP counterpart Nycole Turmel was elected in Hull-Aylmer by over 23,000 votes. That riding had elected a Liberal candidate every time since 1917.
Boivin said credit for the NDP gains in the province went to the party's ideology and their leader, who grew up in Quebec.
"For Jack Layton it was important for Quebec to feel part of Canada," she said. "We're social democratic like the Bloc but we're federalist."
The only vacant seat was Kingston and the Islands which was up for grabs after Liberal Peter Milliken's retirement. Liberal Ted Hsu has held onto the seat by more than 2,600 votes.
Incumbents were elected in all other Ottawa ridings.
Several dozen cheered John Baird's victory in Ottawa West-Nepean at his gathering at Villa Marconi as he watched the results at home with his mother and sister.
Baird later told supporters he's confident the Conservatives can make their promised $4 billion in savings to government without slashing and burning the public service.
"Public service has been valued by our entire team throughout our time in government," he said.
"It's incredibly important, not just for our local economy, but for our government to have a strong and effective public service."
Baird also said that he disagrees with a lot of Jack Layton's policies, but he's "a hell of a good guy."
Meanwhile, Paul Dewar's NDP team at Sala San Marco on Preston Street broke out the Orange Crush soda (and other, less dry beverages) at their tables, as he was named the winner of Ottawa Centre.
Dewar said he learned from his mother Marion, the former mayor of Ottawa who died during the 2008 election campaign.
"I want to pay tribute to the memory of my mother who taught me that you bring more to politics than politics," he said. "You bring community, ideas and passion."
David McGuinty is the first McGuinty brother to be re-elected in 2011, as he claimed Ottawa South for the Liberals against Conservative Elie Sabili.
McGuinty said it's up to the MPs to keep the interests of Canadians at heart.
"It's not about me winning the seat and it's not about the 308 MPs sitting in the House of Commons," he said.
"It's about the 34 million people counting on us to go back to the House of Commons . . . and put their interests first and foremost."
Mauril Belanger was also re-elected for the Liberals in Ottawa-Vanier, a Liberal stronghold since 1935.
Pierre Poilievre will be returning to Parliament for Nepean-Carleton, and Royal Galipeau squeaked out a win in Ottawa-Orleans over Liberal David Bertschi by a margin of almost 4,000 votes.
Also declared is Gordon O'Connor of the Conservatives in Carleton-Mississippi Mills, more than doubling Liberal Karen McCrimmon.
Controversial Cheryl Gallant won in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, with Independent Hec Clouthier a distant second.
Gallant showed up late to her election-night rally because her car had trouble, but she said the same trouble couldn't be said for her party at the polls.
More incumbent Conservatives are Guy Lauzon in Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, Daryl Kramp in Prince Edward-Hastings, Pierre Lemieux in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, Scott Reid in Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox, Rick Norlock in Northumberland-Quinte West and Gord Brown in Leeds-Grenville.
The Conservatives will have a majority government,the final number of seats to be around 166 once all ballots have been counted. The NDP will be the official opposition with a projected 102 seats.
The Liberals fell to the mid-30s, the Bloc Quebecois has lost official party status with four seats, and Elizabeth May has made history as the first Green Party MP to be elected to Parliament.
With files from CTV Ottawa's Joanne Schnurr, Kimothy Walker, Norman Fetterley, Catherine Lathem, Michael O'Byrne and Paul Brent
