None but the most optimistic of Liberal supports would have suggested even hours before the polls opened that Justin Trudeau was about to lead them to a majority.
The polls were suggesting another close race.
The question was what that might mean.
Close races often mean vote splitting which mean wins on surprisingly small percentages of overall voters, as was witnessed last time around when Stephen Harper had found a majority.
It was obvious the Conservatives were not finding news support. There is a portion of the electorate staunchly right of centre, and while they remained loyal, Harper had done little to broaden his personal, or party appeal to those closer to the political centre.
That left a definite feel that change was wanted.
The question was whether the Liberals of New Democrats would rally that support best.
As the election wore on the NDP dropped in the polls, but no one was entirely sure if that would mean a Liberal majority, or whether we were headed to a minority.
In the end Trudeau carried the day.
And, it was very much Trudeau. While not as dynamic as his father, Trudeau found a way to connect with Canadians -- all Canadians.
Or at least his message was for all Canadians, and that resonated with many voters.
After a decade of Harper holding a tight rein on all things government, making the most recent term very much about him in the spotlight, and him alone, many Canadians wanted a different approach.
Trudeau also spoke of an inclusive Canada, again resonating with voters as that has long been a country built on a wave upon wave of immigration.
Harper had championed the idea of spying on neighbours for ‘barbaric cultural practices’, and pointed to every shadow as one hiding a terrorist.
That is not the Canadian way, and it didn’t fly in the election.
And so now the rebuild begins.
Trudeau has to champion the cause of getting us back to being a country where all races, all religions, have a place to live in harmony. That has been one of this country’s greatest strengths before being eroded by the Conservatives.
How Trudeau and the Liberals manage to repair the damage will be interesting to watch, as bigotry and outright racism was evident in the debate of people across this country. That will not heal overnight, but it must be addressed for Canada to be all this great country should be.
