WATERLOO REGION — Waterloo Region was swept up in a red Liberal tide that rolled across the country Monday night, as local voters elected four new faces to Parliament.

The longest and most expensive election campaign in Canadian history ended with a changing of the guard in a region that had been exclusively Tory blue since 2008. It also resulted in the most diverse group of MPs that Waterloo Region has ever sent to Ottawa.

Three Conservative MPs lost their jobs — Cambridge's Gary Goodyear, Kitchener Centre's Stephen Woodworth and Waterloo's Peter Braid. All were replaced by Liberal newcomers.

Only one local Conservative looked poised to return to office, in Kitchener-Conestoga. Harold Albrecht, the two-time incumbent, was leading in a tight race with Liberal Tim Louis. It's a riding he won with a comfortable 54 per cent of the vote in 2001.

A fourth Liberal candidate claimed the new riding of Kitchener South-Hespeler. Frito Lay supervisor Marwan Tabbara, 31, beat Conservative and runner-up Marian Gagne, a longtime party organizer.

In Waterloo, Braid was replaced by Bardish Chagger, the 35-year-old the daughter of Punjabi immigrants and the former executive assistant to former Liberal MP Andrew Telegdi.

In Kitchener Centre, Liberal Raj Saini, a 48-year-old pharmacist, handily beat Woodworth. He had held the riding since 2008, and took 42 per cent of the vote in the last election in 2011.

It was a stunning rejection for the Tories — particularly for Goodyear, a cabinet minister who pollsters thought had enough support to win another term in Cambridge, after taking 53 per cent of the vote in the last election.

It's nothing short of a sea change in the local political scene, as voters balked at Conservative efforts to portray Liberal leader Justin Trudeau as inexperienced, according to one local political observer.

"What this says to me is the ballot question was not about the economy or job creation, but about change. Did Canadians want change?" said Anna Esselment, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Waterloo.

The Tories' plan to outspend and attack the competition with negative ads simply backfired, she said. Instead, Trudeau had enough time to convince people he was up for the job.

"I think Canadians responded to the energy and the positivity coming out of (Trudeau's) campaign, all that hope and hard-work stuff," she said.

The Liberals' dramatic return to power, after a third-place finish in the last election, played out locally after polls suggested the party was gaining momentum as the 78-day campaign went on.

"We know better is possible. We are excited to make this happen," said a buoyant Chagger, who most recently was a special projects co-ordinator at the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre.

"Today, people of Waterloo and Canada chose real change. We fought to get our Canada back."

Chagger also stands to become Waterloo Region's first female MP since Karen Redman was defeated in 2008. She's part of a new slate of local MPs that represent the changing face of Canadian politics.

"I think it's great, in terms of Canadians being able to see themselves being reflected in their Parliament," Esselment said. "If you see far more diversity, it says a lot about the kind of Canada we have."

It was a remarkable turnaround for a Liberal party that won only 26 per cent of total votes in Waterloo Region in the 2011 federal election — the year the Conservatives won 47 per cent of votes, the NDP won 21 per cent of votes and the Greens won 4 per cent of votes.

Kitchener Centre maintained its reputation a bellwether riding — it's sided with the party that has won Ontario in 19 provincial and federal elections since 1985. Saini led Woodworth right out of the gate as soon as polls closed.

"I am humbled and eternally grateful for the trust and support (Kitchener Centre) has shown. I will work tirelessly for you as your MP the next 4 Years," Saini said, in a tweet.

Braid, who had 41 per cent of the vote in 2011, said he felt confident in the election's finals hours but said his supporters should be proud of their campaign.

"We can all hold our heads high. As a result of these last seven years Waterloo is stronger and more prosperous," he said. "We celebrate a well-run campaign as well as our accomplishments over these last seven years."

The ousted MP said he believed voters were moved by concern for jobs, taxes and the economy.

"Ultimately most people vote based on their pocketbook and they say that the only poll that matters is the one on election day. That's not just a cliché. There's a lot of truth to that," Braid said.

Woodward, meanwhile, said the campaign had been a tough one and he was looking forward to a break.

"It is a very physically demanding routine. I am looking forward to a rest. That said, I'm feeling pretty good, because we met with a lot of support everywhere we went," he said, before polls closed.