Like red Liberal election signs turning orange in the summer sun, so did the BC coast on election night. A majority of voters in the newly created North Island-Powell River riding cast their ballots to send New Democrat Party (NDP) candidate Rachel Blaney to Ottawa as their member of parliament (MP).
“I’m so proud to represent this riding, but at the same time very unhappy to see tonight’s outcome,” said Blaney. “Unfortunately, people thought the change was going to be in the Liberal Party.”
With 11 of 278 polls still unreported as of 9 am Tuesday, October 20, NDP had 40 per cent (22,836) of the vote, trouncing Conservative Party of Canada candidate Laura Smith by close to 8,000 ballots. Smith took 26.2 per cent (14,960), while Liberal Party of Canada candidate Peter Schwarzhoff had 25.5 per cent with 14,527. Green Party of Canada candidate Brenda Sayers had 8.3 per cent of the vote with 4,747.
Voter turnout in the riding, minus the 11 polls, was 70.7 per cent, beating the national average at 68.5 per cent.
It was a night of mixed emotions for NDP supporters as they watched the Liberal red wave wash across the country.
Nationally, the Liberals were elected to 184 seats, which gave the party a majority government. The Conservatives will form the official opposition with 99 seats in the House of Commons. The NDP was reduced to third-party status with 44 seats, and the Bloc Quebecois elected 10 MPs. Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party, was re-elected as the sole Green MP again.
In our region, Blaney will be joined in Ottawa by Gord Johns, who defeated longtime Vancouver Island North MP John Duncan who ran in the also newly-formed Courtenay-Alberni.
“Now we have to get moving forward,” said Blaney. “This is the choice of the voters of the country. My goal now is to represent this riding in Ottawa to the very best of my abilities.”
Blaney added that she is going to Ottawa with her team to make sure the Liberals “do their job.”
