NDP collapse in Quebec echoed across country

The Orange Wave that delivered the NDP to the royal opposition in 2011 has collapsed.

Quebecers elected only 16 NDP members in the 2015 election, compared to the 59 they sent four years ago.

Now only 44 members of the New Democratic Party will be heading to Ottawa.

Supporters may be disappointed by the drop in support, but this is the second-largest number of NDP MPs ever heading to Ottawa.

"What we’re seeing in Quebec is actually a sweep by Mr. Trudeau ... in effect, taking the place of the orange wave," CTV election analyst Antonia Maioni said on Monday night.

Jack Layton died from cancer just months after taking office as Opposition leader, and his party was tasked with leading several rookie politicians who hadn’t been expected to gain seats in Quebec.

Speaking to supporters on Monday night, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said that the NDP roots "continue to develop" in Quebec.

"The NDP will always be a real choice for Quebecers," Mulcair said in French.

But despite the "orange crash" in the 2015 election, several rookie NDP MPs first elected in Quebec in 2011 are returning to the House of Commons.

Ruth Ellen Brousseau, a young mother from Ottawa with no political experience, managed to hold on to her seat in the riding of Berthier-Maskinonge on Monday night.

Brousseau, who faced immense media pressure in the days following the election after news surfaced that she had been out of the country on election night, has earned the respect of her colleagues and constituents, CTV’s Parliamentary Bureau Chief Robert Fife said.

He said Brousseau had transformed into a "phenomenal parliamentarian."

"She’s impressed everyone on Parliament Hill when she could have been a laughingstock," Fife said.

Other MPs returning from Montreal include Helene Laverdiere, who defeated Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe for the second time.

Alexandre Boulerice and Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet were also re-elected.

On the South Shore Pierre Nantel and Mathieu Dubé will also return to the House of Commons.

Those who lost their seats include NDP-candidate Maria Mourani, who was first elected for the Bloc Quebecois but was kicked out of that party following the divisive Charter of Values debate.

Niqab debate

During the 2015 campaign, the NDP saw their popularity diminish in Quebec as they appeared to be at odds with many Quebecers over key issues.

One was the controversy over the niqab, which became a lightning-rod issue particularly in Quebec, where a proposed ban on face coverings is popular.

While the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois opposed allowing the niqab during citizenship ceremonies, the NDP stuck by their stance that women should not be required to unveil during the swearing-in process.