Liberal leader Justin Trudeau won the Canadian federal election on Monday, ending Conservative Stephen Harper's nine-year run as prime minister.

NBC News reports Trudeau's Liberal Party seized a Parliament majority, breaking the record for seats gained between elections. The Liberals were formerly in third place among Parliament's political parties.

43-year-old Trudeau is a former schoolteacher, and the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His victory comes four years after a devastating loss for the Liberals. In 2011, the party won 34 out of 338 seats in Canada's House of Commons. On Monday, they secured 184 seats, gaining the majority in Parliament.

It's a massive change in direction for Canada, a country often hailed as a liberal haven prior to Harper's nearly decade long reign. Harper was characterized as a neoconservative, responsible for cutting corporate taxes, engaging in anti-Islamic and anti-immigrant rhetoric, and opposing climate change measures.

Trudeau, by contrast, says he intends to raise taxes on the rich and tackle climate change. He is a self-declared feminist, a pro-choice advocate, and supports the legalization of marijuana.

According to an opinion poll from WorldViews via The Washington Post, 71 percent of Canadian voters were ready to see a change in government.

"When the time for change strikes, it's lethal," former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney said in a television interview. "I ran and was successful because I wasn't Pierre Trudeau. Justin is successful because he isn't Stephen Harper."

Harper and the Conservatives attempted to paint Trudeau as inexperienced and unprepared for the job, but the attacks were ineffective.

"We beat fear with hope," Trudeau said during his victory speech in Montreal. "We beat cynicism with hard work. We beat negative, divisive politics with a positive vision that brings Canadians together."

Harper has conceded defeat and will step down as the leader of the Conservative Party.

"The people are never wrong," Harper said in speech at a Calgary hotel. "The disappointment is my responsibility and mine alone."