KITCHENER -- Liberal incumbent Tim Louis will retain his seat in Kitchener-Conestoga.

The riding was too close to call after Monday night's federal election.

According to Elections Canada, Louis had 39.2 per cent of the vote as of Tuesday at 4 p.m. Carlene Hawley with the Conservatives was second with 38.2 per cent. There were only 528 votes separating those two candidates.

Elections Canada said results were delayed this week as officials counted mail-in ballots.

In 2015, Louis lost to incumbent Conservative Harold Albrecht by just 251 votes.

Then in 2019, Louis defeated Albrecht by a margin of 365 votes.

Now that he's defeated Hawley by only a few hundred votes, Louis said he's getting used to living on pins and needles for days after an election.

"I believe this time we came ahead by 528, which someone described to me as a Kitchener-Conestoga landslide compared to the last two, so really it is all I know and all I have known," he said. "So many people get a chance to give an acceptance speech or a concession speech on election night and I have had three elections and have never done either of them, it's always been a go home and wait it out."

In a release, Hawley said she called Louis today to congratulate him on his win. She also thanked her volunteers and supporters for their efforts.