Notable incumbents defeated
LIBERAL KEN DRYDEN/YORK CENTRE A goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens when the team won six Stanley Cups in the 1970s, Mr. Dryden already had a high profile before entering federal politics in 2004. Two years later, he ran for the Liberal leadership, one of several candidates who lost to Stéphane Dion. However, Mr. Dryden’s name recognition in hockey-crazy Toronto couldn’t save the Hockey Hall of Famer from a tight battle with Conservative Mark Adler, founder and president of the Economic Club of Canada.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
CONSERVATIVE LAWRENCE CANNON/PONTIAC When the election race started, few observers thought Conservative cabinet ministers would be in danger of losing their seats in Quebec. But as the New Democrats’ popularity grew in the province, Mr. Cannon, Foreign Affairs Minister, suddenly found himself in a hotly contested battle with a karate instructor – NDP candidate Mathieu Ravignat. Mr. Cannon lost to the New Democrat in a tight race.Sean Kilpatrick
INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE HELENA GUERGIS/SIMCOE-GREY After being punted from Tory caucus, former Conservative cabinet minister Helena Guergis ran as an Independent candidate in her Ontario riding. She had won the previous three elections but couldn’t defeat Conservative contender Kellie Leitch, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon.Darren Calabrese
CONSERVATIVE GARY LUNN/SAANICH-GULF ISLANDS Mr. Lunn was a veteran of five successful federal campaigns before 2011. A member of the B.C. Law Society and a certified journeyman carpenter, he had held cabinet posts in the Harper government, most recently serving as Sports Minister during last year’s Olympics in Vancouver. The Green Party, however, poured its resources into Saanich-Gulf Islands, betting Leader Elizabeth May could defeat Mr. Lunn. She did.
LIBERAL GERARD KENNEDY/PARKDALE-HIGH PARK Mr. Kennedy knew he’d be in for a tight race with NDP candidate Peggy Nash. The pair faced off in the 2008 campaign, with Mr. Kennedy winning by less than 3,500 votes. In the end, Mr. Kennedy’s defeat in the rematch with Ms. Nash is symbolic of the Liberals’ eroded support in Toronto and elsewhere.Adrian Wyld