The Conservative Party of Canada’s (CPC) Tamara Kronis won the federal election seat in Nanaimo—Ladysmith with 35.2 per cent of the vote, beating out Liberal candidate Michelle Corfield who placed second with 27.9 per cent.
Posting to social media, Kronis said, “Thank you, Nanaimo—Ladysmith and Gabriola. We won’t let you down.”
The Liberals won or are leading in a total of 169 seats in the House of Commons with 43.7 per cent of the popular vote, falling just short of the 172 seats needed for a majority. As the incumbent government, it will have a chance to test the confidence of the House of Commons and form government again in a hung parliament.
Conservatives won 144 seats across Canada with 41.2 per cent of the vote, but CPC Leader Peirre Poilievre lost his seat in the Carleton riding to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy. Poilievre vowed to continue on as leader.
The NDP fell to a historic low of seven seats and 6.3 per cent of the popular vote nationally. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh lost his seat, placing third in Burnaby Central. An emotional Singh announced his resignation as leader as soon as an interim one can be appointed.
The Bloc Québécois also won 6.3 percent of the vote, but being a party that only runs candidates in Quebec it picked up 22 seats, which is roughly proportional to its national vote share.
Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May, in the Saanich—Gulf Islands riding, was the sole MP elected for her party.
The Greens had 1.2 per cent of the vote and the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) saw its vote share drop to 0.7 per cent. PPC leader Maxime Bernier placed fourth with 5.8 per cent of the vote in the riding of Beauce
Nanaimo—Ladysmith goes blue
The campaign in Nanaimo—Ladysmith was defined by vote splitting and strategic voting among progressive voters, making it a four-way race between the Conservatives, NDP, Greens and Liberal candidates.
The Greens and Liberals both released competing local polls during the final week of the race arguing that they were the strategic choice for progressive voters, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Conservatives.
Both NDP and Conservative leaders visited Central Vancouver Island in the final days of the election with NDP leader Jagmeet Singh holding a press conference in Maffeo Sutton Park and Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) Leader Pierre Poilievre holding a rally on Friday night in Nanoose Bay. Liberal Leader Mark Carney campaigned in Victoria in the final week of the campaign.
The CPC was projected to win the Nanaimo—Ladysmith riding so the result is not unexpected but it is the first time the Conservatives have won the riding since it was formed in 2015.
The second-place finish for the Liberals in Nanaimo-Ladysmith, winning 20,693 votes and 27.9 per cent of the vote, is the best since the riding was formed, besting a second-place finish in 2015 by 4.4 percentage points. Historically, the Liberals have not won a seat in the area since 1940.
Liberal candidate Michelle Corfield said she accomplished her goals of raising the party’s profile in the riding and that she will do everything she can to support Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“We are strong and we’re proud,” she said on social media vowing that “we’re not going anywhere.”
While the NDP’s Lisa Marie Barron placed third, she managed to pick up 13,591 votes and 18.3 per cent of the vote, bucking the national trend that saw the party’s vote share drop to 6.3% nationally and lose all but seven seats, along with official party status.
“Today I will spend time with my kids and family,” she said on social media Wednesday. “But I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, there is still work to do to fight against the unfair tax relief for the one per cent ultra rich, the expansion of head to toe health care, and necessary work towards electoral reform.”
Green candidate Paul Manly placed fourth with 18.2 per cent of the vote.
“I know many of you are worried about what this election means for our future. I share that concern,” he posted on social media. “But I also know that real change doesn’t end with one election. Our fight for a better world continues.”
The People’s Party vote in Nanaimo also collapsed with Stephen Welton winning 294 votes, or 0.4 per cent.
On the Island and across B.C.
On Vancouver Island, the CPC won three out of a total of 19 seats the party won in B.C.
In the capital region, the Liberals won two seats, one in Victoria and one in Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke.
The only NDP incumbent on Vancouver Island who was able to hold on to his seat was Gord Johns in Courtenay—Alberni.
The total number of seats elected or leaning in B.C. is 20 Liberal, 19 CPC, 3 NDP and one Green.
Preliminary voter turnout for the election was 68.7 per cent, an increase from 2021 when 62.6 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot. B.C. saw a similar 69 per cent turnout, while 72.6 per cent of voters turned out in Nanaimo—Ladysmith, up from 63.6 percent in 2021.
