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Politics

Kindy elected in North Island Riding; Majority still within sight for both NDP and Conservatives

Editor’s Note: According to the Cortes Marketer, 316 Cortes Island residents voted for Michele Babchuk. The Conservative candidate, Anna Kindy, received 102 votes – the highest number of Conservative votes for years. Green party candidate Nic Dedeluk only received 80 votes, most likely because many people who would have normally voted Green decided to vote strategically.

The results of yesterday’s election are still too close to call. As of 4:27 AM this morning, Global News reported that the winner has yet to be declared in 7 ridings. The NDP and Conservatives are still both within sight of forming a majority government.

In two ridings the top two candidates were separated by less than 100 votes. According to Elections BC, this triggers an automatic recount ‘which will take place during the final count, scheduled for October 26 to 28.’  If Conservative candidates were to take Juan de Fuca -Malahat and Surrey-City Centre and the other tallies remain unchanged, this would give them the 47 seats needed for a majority government. 

Similarly, if the NDP takes Courtenay-Comox, Kelowna Centre or Surrey-Guildford, where currently they trail by only  0.6% to 0.7% of the popular vote, that could give them 47 seats. If they win all three ridings and the other tallies hold, they will get 49 seats.

At the moment we are looking at a similar scenario to that which resulted in the 2017 Confidence and Supply agreement between the NDP and Green parties: 

  • NDP elected in 42 ridings, leading in 4 = 46
  • Conservatives elected in 42 ridings, leading in 3 = 45
  • Green party elected in 2 ridings

The Greens will send two candidates to the next legislature, but Sonia Furstenau is not among them. Rob Botterell was victorious in Saanich North and the Islands and Jeremy Valeriote in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.

Whether they will support a minority NDP Government or prefer to make their decision on an issue by issue basis, has yet to be seen. (Some Greens regard the NDP’s decision to call an election in 2020, a year before the NDP-Green alliance was to come to term, as a betrayal.)

David Eby and all but three members of his last cabinet appear to have been reelected. Nathan Cullen was among the defeated MLAs.

John Rustad cruised to an easy victory in Nechako Lakes riding, where he has been the MLA since 2005.

There have been a number of boundary changes since 2005 and the electoral district history illustrated above is approximate.

The NDP are elected or leading in 12 of the 15 Vancouver Island ridings.

Conservative candidate Anna Kindy has been elected in our own North Island riding, with 13,897 votes (47.2% of the POP) to former NDP incumbent Michele Babchuk’s 13,215 (44.9%). Green candidate Nic Dedeluk trails behind with 2,326 votes (7.9%).

Links of Interest:

Top image credit: Staircase in the provincial Legislature – Photo by Adam Jones via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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