A blue wave across the country Monday night swept the Conservatives to a majority government, the first since 1988. And our riding will be sending a familiar local face back to Ottawa.
Incumbent member of Parliament John Weston rode the wave of national support to a solid election night win May 2, claiming 28,711 votes (45.5 per cent) in the West Vancouver - Sunshine Coast - Sea to Sky Country riding. Weston's closest challenger was New Democrat Terry Platt who claimed 14,812 votes (23.5 per cent). Liberal Dan Veniez was third with 14,103 votes (22.3 per cent), and Green Brennan Wauters was fourth with 4,597 votes (7.3 per cent).
Rounding out the local results were Progressive Canadian Party candidate Roger Lagassé with 342 votes, Libertarian Tunya Audain with 244 votes, Western Block candidate Allan Holt with 157 votes, Marxist-Leninist candidate Carol Lee Chapman with 87 votes and Canadian Action Party candidate Doug Hartt with 64 votes.
A total of 63,117 of the 98,293 registered electors voted in this election, Canada's 41st, translating into a 64.2 per cent voter turnout. In the last election, 60,013 of the 94,144 registered electors voted in the riding (63.8 per cent).
Platt's second place showing followed a stunning trend across the country where an orange crush of support saw the NDP claim 102 seats nationally and, in the process, earn party leader Jack Layton the status of the official opposition when Parliament resumes. The Conservatives won 167 seats, while the Liberals were decimated with 34 seats. The Bloc Quebecois claimed four while Green Party leader Elizabeth May made Canadian history, winning her riding in Saanich-Gulf Islands to become the first elected member of the Green Party to sit in the House of Commons.
Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe lost his seat and resigned as party leader Monday night, while Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, who also lost his seat Monday, resigned as leader Tuesday morning.
Voter turnout was 61.4 per cent nationally.
The mood in West Vancouver at Conservative headquarters was jubilant shortly after the polls closed in British Columbia as results were announced. An Elections Canada order prohibited print, radio and television media from announcing any results until the polls officially closed in B.C.
Around 7:30 p.m., the national media had declared a Conservative majority government, and shortly thereafter, Weston was declared re-elected.
Weston, wearing a Vancouver Canucks jersey, was overjoyed when he came out to greet his supporters.
"If I only had two words, they would be thank you," Weston said. "There were challenging moments in this campaign, but there were a lot of laughs, too. We really are the finest in so many ways, and this isn't something we say with arrogance. We have a national leader who's shown that he's disciplined, he's intelligent and he's a world leader. We have the finest in him."
In a follow-up interview Tuesday morning, Weston said it has been a humbling 24 hours for him. He said he was surprised by the national results.
"I don't think anyone could have predicted the crumbling of the Liberal Party and the Bloc Quebecois, but the results both nationally and locally show Canadians had a desire and a commitment for a stable government," he said.
"In my case here in this riding, this came as a result of a very large team effort. We had more than 600 registered volunteers; many had not worked on my team or any campaign before. To me, that shows that people cared about this riding and wanted to make a difference.
"For the first time in a long time, we have a clear path of over four years, so that allows us to articulate a clear vision, to create jobs on the Coast and across the country. This is a time we can be more thoughtful and listen to all perspectives of the opposition and the people in the community and pursue a statesmanlike approach to governance. I think we are poised to lead the world in ways that many could not predict. Canada is ready to lead in the G7 in not just economic areas, but in environmental areas, in technology and innovation, in peacekeeping and arts and culture."
Weston said he is looking forward to getting back to work in Ottawa and relishes the opportunity to engage with a new official opposition.
"I'm pleased that we have more federalist members as opposed to separatist members in the House," he said. "I look forward to working with our new official opposition and I'm confident that the NDP will take that job and responsibility seriously in the House of Commons. I think we will have a refreshing and clear debate and a unified Parliament."
NDP wins bigs
Platt called the campaign "quite the ride" and although disappointed that she didn't win, she was bolstered by the strong showing by Layton nationally.
"We have 103 seats, for heaven's sake - I think that is wonderful," Platt said at her election night party at the Blackfish Pub in Gibsons. "As for the Conservatives, well, God help us, but I believe the official opposition is in good hands with Jack. He is marvellous, he is very dedicated, he is just a marvellous man, and he is going to make a wonderful leader of the opposition.
"I am concerned that Harper has a majority. I think it's scary times for Canada, but Jack will keep the seat hot for Harper - I don't think he will concede on many things."
Platt said she was very happy with her campaign and enjoyed the experience.
"I respect all my fellow candidates. I learned a lot from all of them," she said. "On Saturday, I go back to work on the Queen of Oak Bay. I think on Friday I'll stop and get some cookies and doughnuts for my crewmates who have been behind me 100 per cent. I may have lost, but I have won because I get to go back to them."
Liberals decimated
Veniez was disappointed in his own showing, but even more so in the party's stunning decline and fall nationally.
"Once a tsunami hits, it hits and takes its innocent victims along with it," Veniez said in an interview Tuesday morning. "I'm disappointed that the voter turnout was so low. I think voters decided to vote for the devil they know. Had the numbers held from a few weeks ago, you would have seen the blue wave move over to us and more Liberals come out in force, but the orange crush was just too much to overcome.
"Unless the Liberal Party reshapes itself into a more modern, relevant party again, it will be relegated to the dustbins of history, and so it should be. We need new blood and bold ideas, ideas that we can shape with the help of all Canadians. I think there is a certain sense of entitlement within the party, and that has to stop. I'm a market type of guy and you always have to pay attention to your customer, not your own press clippings. A glorious past does not guarantee you a great future.
"A lot of work has to go into rehabilitating the party from the ground up and that will take work, leadership, a focus on substance and developing a shared vision of purpose. Unless a party has focus, they will never be successful."
Veniez said he would not seek the party's nomination for the riding again.
"It was an incredible experience. I'm not a professional politician and I do not plan on doing this again," he said. "If someone wants me to make a contribution in public life, I will always be open to ideas, but I have no plans to run again. I plan to go back to my business life."
Last week, Veniez filed a lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court, filed a complaint with Elections Canada and filed a complaint with the Law Society claiming Weston and his supporters had circulated defaming material, both at all candidates meetings and through a YouTube video, claiming that Veniez was in some way responsible for pension shortfalls incurred when the former Skeena Cellulose operation in Prince Rupert went into bankruptcy.
Veniez said he plans to continue to fight the lawsuit.
"What was done to me was just not right. These are outright lies and the factual record is out there for anyone to see," he said. "Weston and the Harper Conservatives attack and malign people. The facts do not matter to these people, and I think as a result of attacks like what was done to me, people are discouraged from running for public office.
"I will do what I can to ensure that what Mr. Weston and his campaign team did in this instance - which is against the law, circulating material that is clearly false - will be held accountable for their actions."
Weston denies any wrong doing and said the matter will be cleared up.
"The legal questions that have been put forth by Mr. Veniez will be put to rest and I have no doubt about that," said Weston. "I'm convinced that there has been no defamation, but as our lawyers are dealing with this, I have no further comment."
Green gains
Wauters said he was pleased with his results as they were nearly double the national average for Green votes.
"That shows clearly to me that in the riding, despite the overall results, that this riding is very, very green," Wauters said. "It was an amazing experience for me and a fantastic learning experience. I learned a lot from my fellow candidates as well. I have a lot of respect for them."
Wauters said he is elated by May's victory, calling the win a paradigm shift.
"This was the hurdle that we needed to overcome. To have the first Green elected representative in federal politics is a wonderful achievement. There are some amazing opportunities before us, and I will still be working as much as I can to try to influence the debate and open up the possibilities in the riding. My intention is to keep pressing on in the riding and spreading ideas and the issues."
-With files from Allie Nichol and Meagan Robertson, Squamish Chief
