London region returns incumbents from all parties to power

London region's rural ridings stay Tory blue The 2019 federal election in the London area had colours staying the same across the board. CTV's Gerry Dewan has details.

LONDON, Ont. - The incumbents in the London region - regardless of their party affiliation - all held their seats after the final votes were counted in the 43rd federal election.

And where there was no incumbent, the new MP-elect was invariably from the party that had previously held the riding.

There was no incumbent in London-Fanshawe heading into the 2019 election, but the daughter of long-time MP Irene Mathyssen was able to hold her mother's seat for the NDP.

Lindsay Mathyssen beat Conservative candidate and current City of London Councillor Michael van Holst in the riding.

The first candidate to be declared elected in southwestern Ontario was long-time incumbent Diane Finley in the riding of Haldimand-Norfolk. The Conservative was first elected in the riding in 2004.

Also re-elected were Conservative incumbents; Karen Vecchio in Elgin-Middlesex-London, Marilyn Gladu in Sarnia-Lambton, John Nater in Perth-Wellington, Ben Lobb in Huron-Bruce and Dave MacKenzie in Oxford - the latter of whom has held the seat since 2004.

MP-elect Lianne Rood was able to hold the Lambton-Kent-Middlesex riding for the Conservatives after the departure of long-serving MP Bev Shipley, who had kept the riding blue since 2006, but announced in 2018 he would not run again.

It was a very similar situation in Chatham-Kent-Leamington, where Conservative Dave Epp was elected following the retirement of Conservative incumbent Dave Van Kesteren, who like Shipley was first elected in 2006.

Essentially the same situation unfolded in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, where Conservative Alex Ruff kept the seat blue after the retirement of incumbent Larry Miller.

In London West Liberal Kate Young returns for a second term after first being elected in 2015 when she took the seat from the Conservatives.

And in London North Centre, Liberal incumbent Peter Fragiskatos returns for a second term after also first winning his seat in 2015.

CTV News declared a Liberal minority early on in the evening, with results from Ontario and to the east going largely red, though southwestern Ontario bucked the trend, holding to Conservative incumbents - especially in rural ridings.