Brendan Hanley will be the Yukon's Member of Parliament. He was leading by more than 1,300 votes with 80 per cent of polls reporting when his nearest opponent conceded.
His nearest opponent in the vote total, Conservative candidate Ryan Leef, told supporters gathered at around 9:30 p.m. on April 28 that he is conceding and would soon go congratulate the victorious Hanley.
Following Leef's concession Hanley addressed supporters at a gathering that had been held throughout election night at Tony's Pasta and Seafood House in Whitehorse.
Chants of "Brendan! Brendan!" rang out at the Liberal supporters' gathering as he entered the room.
With 104 out of 105 polls reporting as of 11:30 p.m., Hanley's vote total is more than 3,100 more than Leef's. The last remaining poll involves special ballots for Yukoners voting outside the riding, which represents approximately 600 votes, according to Elections Canada.
Hanley was all smiles listening to his wife Lise Farynowski introducing him. She credited his "shameless" ability to corner federal ministers and described his ability to build relationships across party lines as a "superpower."
When Hanley took to the podium, he recognized the First Nations whose traditional territories Whitehorse sits upon.
He also said it was incredibly painful to hear about the "terrible tragedy in Vancouver yesterday," referring to a fatal attack upon the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver on April 26.
"It's hit all of us Canadians in the gut, and the Filipino community in particular, in BC and the Yukon and around the country."
Hanley was quick to thank his team, those who voted for him, and the more than 100 volunteers who assisted with his campaign.
He said he was honoured and humbled to have won the trust of Yukoners once again. "I am glad and grateful to have earned a passing grade after having served over the last three and a half years. This is not and will never be an honour that I take lightly," he said.
Hanley pledged to put Canadian values first in his role as MP, to reassert Canada's presence on the world stage and to continue reconciliation with First Nations partners.
His expressed support for CBC, Radio Canada and local journalism drew applause from the audience.
He said he looks forward to returning to Ottawa to work with Mark Carney, who is projected to be the next Prime Minister and that it is "Canada's time to shine."
Hanley noted that while Canada stares down the threats of U.S. President Donald Trump to both the Canadian economy and sovereignty, other serious challenges have not gone away. He listed climate change, the housing shortage, affordability, issues with healthcare and family doctors, and harms from drugs as being issues.
"The toxic drug crisis continues to take away our young people and our communities are still grieving," he said.
"Any one of these problems could keep a government completely occupied working on solutions," he said. "Our challenge will be to address all of these and likely more at the same time, I can promise one thing, at least, I'll work as hard as I can for the benefit of Yukoners and continue to bring a strong voice from Yukon to Ottawa."
In regards to the threats from Trump, Hanley said a "Team Canada" approach was needed, when speaking with reporters. He emphasized protecting Canada's economic sovereignty and sovereignty as a nation. He discussed removing interprovincial trade barriers, and making the economy more resilient for all Canadians, including Northerners.
During his speech, Hanley acknowledged that not all Yukoners voted for him: around 47 per cent, according to Elections Canada. Hanley said he was committed to representing all Yukoners. He committed to listening and respecting the thoughts, advice and opinions of "any Yukoner who wants to connect with me."
Hanley said that the Liberal government will invest in "much-needed infrastructure" to bolster defence, as well as work towards "energy sovereignty with a goal of becoming a modern energy superpower." He said the government needs to build houses and care for mental health and substance use.
"We will lead an economy that invests in its own people. We will develop like-minded economic partners to reduce our dependence on the United States and work quickly towards removing interprovincial trade barriers," said Hanley.
"We will put Canadian values first, and we'll leverage private capital and markets to increase our productivity."
He said the government would reassert Canada's presence on the international stage with stronger foreign policy, and "speak out against injustice, whether at home or abroad."
Speaking to reporters after his speech and after meeting with supporters, Hanley said he stood by his decision to ask former prime minister Justin Trudeau to step down as party leader at the end of last year. He said it was the right thing to do, regardless of how the party performed on election night.
"I think now we have proven that the change in leadership, the change in vision, the change in energy, it all worked to, I think, give us the leadership that we need for for the situation that we're in at the moment," he said.
Trudeau would go onto resign as prime minister and party leader, and Parliament was prorogued. At that time, Hanley told the News he regretted the loss of many bills which died on the floor. One of those bills was Bill C-77, which would establish the Commissioner of Modern Treaties.
"We need to revive it," said Hanley. "And I'll definitely be bringing that up. Again, meeting, during the campaign even, with many First Nation, either citizens or representatives, that again, they, this is really special for the Yukon." He remarked it was a priority for the territory, which has 11 modern treaties.
During his speech, Hanley credited both Green Party candidate Gabrielle Dupont and NDP Katherine McCallum — first-time candidates — for running, acknowledging how stressful it is. He also credited Conservative candidate Ryan Leef for stepping up once again "with candour, with civility and with respect."
Leef met with Hanley at the event, and the two spoke for a few minutes.
Leef had told the News that he respected the voice of the Yukon and their decision.
"They chose him and and, and I believe, you know, in order for our MP to succeed, every Yukoner needs to get behind him and and help him succeed, as much as he needs to return that favour to all Yukoners as well."
With files from Dana Hatherly
