For the first time since 1979, a Liberal MP is heading to Ottawa to represent West Vancouver - Sunshine Coast - Sea to Sky Country.
Blair Wilson topped the polls Monday night, winning a close race over Conservative John Weston in the 39th general election.
Wilson claimed 23,867 votes (37.5 per cent) compared to Weston's 22,881 (35.0 per cent). NDP Judith Wilson was third with 12,766 votes (20.1 per cent) followed by Green candidate Silvaine Zimmermann with 3,966 votes (6.2 per cent) and Anne Jamieson from the Marxist-Leninist Party with 155 votes (0.2 per cent).
Voter turnout in the riding was solid with 68.6 per cent of registered electors casting a ballot.
Monday night was filled with high drama. Despite the national picture being called in the Conservatives favour around 7 p.m., the outcome in West Vancouver took a lot longer to be decided.
Blair Wilson and Weston went neck and neck for most of the evening, with the tide shifting in Wilson's favour around 9:30 p.m. when the numbers from Squamish started coming in.
Once victory was assured, shortly after 10:30 p.m., Wilson entered his election night party at the Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver to a thunderous ovation. Supporters cheered wildly and stopped to hug Wilson as he made his way up on stage.
"Thank you all for waiting this long. I know it's been a long night, but it's been a long 18 months as well," Wilson told his supporters. "We've all worked so hard for so long. That is a great testament to the team we've been able to build in West Vancouver - Sunshine Coast - Sea to Sky Country. It is amazing."
Wilson offered his congratulations to all the other candidates for fighting a good campaign.
"It was a hard battle. We had 12 debates and we went from one end of this riding to the other. Everyone worked very hard and they deserve a round of applause and thanks for that work," Wilson said. "To all those people who voted for me and to those who didn't, I will be working hard for each and every one of you. You've hired me. I will do the job. I will deliver results for this riding.
"We have a tremendous victory here in this riding that everyone has worked very hard for and we deserve a great celebration tonight. But we also have to remember that now is the time we've got to come together as a party. Now is the time to rebuild and rejuvenate the Liberal Party. Now is the time where we have to dig a little deeper and work a little harder over the next course of parliament."
Wilson said he looks forward to continuing the fight to protect women's rights, minority rights, aboriginal rights and the Charter of Rights.
"I look forward to working hard and fighting to support the Kyoto Protocol and fighting for the environment," he said. "I look forward to fighting hard for a national health care system with equal access to all. And I look forward to working toward a strong, unified multi-cultural Canada. This is the type of Canada I want to live in. This is the type of Canada you want to live in. This is the type of Canada I'm going to work for with the next parliament.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us. This is just the beginning. We have to energize this party. This riding is an example for Canada of how people can come together with a common cause and take the lead."
When reached for further comment Tuesday afternoon, Wilson said his first priority is to get his offices set up and working in all the regions. He also wants to meet with area MLAs, community leaders and municipal governments to see what their goals and priorities are. He also said a meeting with VANOC and the 2010 team is a priority.
Weston arrived at his campaign headquarters in West Vancouver just after 9 p.m. Monday night. He thanked supporters and watched the election returns on television.
On Tuesday morning, he said he was proud of his team and was pleased with his campaign, his first as a political candidate.
"Generally we ran a very positive and upbeat campaign," Weston said. "If there is a consolation prize, it's that our leader and our party have formed the new government. The national media gave me way more coverage that I expected. If I played a small role in [Stephen Harper's] victory, I can take pride in that. In saying that, the campaign was a success in many ways, but the poll result here was certainly disappointing. But that's democracy. The people have spoken. As a first-time candidate, I think we made a mark and established a reputation on which to grow."
Weston said he plans to return to law practice and hopes to continue to be involved with the party.
"I'm not going anywhere. I want to continue to bring forward our message," he said.
Judith Wilson's NDP supporters gathered in Sechelt Monday night at the Sechelt Indian Band community hall to watch the election results come in. Toward the end of the evening, before the final results were in, Wilson spoke to the room. She said it had been an interesting campaign and thanked her supporters and volunteers. She noted they did not campaign much in West Vancouver but instead focused on increasing support in other areas, most notably Whistler.
"We have made huge gains in this campaign," Wilson said. "What we stand for as a political movement has become mainstream."
She said she would continue to carry forward the NDP movement.
"We have a lot more New Democrats going to Ottawa than we had last time," she said. "What matters is the NDP in this election has indeed turned the tides and stopped the Conservative hordes from having the majority in the house."
Zimmermann said her campaign went well, but admitted that unless the system is changed, her party doesn't stand much of a chance.
"Close friends said they wanted to vote for me, but they changed their minds because they said they had to do what was best for Canada," Zimmermann said. "We need a system [proportional representation] where all perspectives are viewed and aired. The fourth party, the Green Party, was excluded by the national media. That certainly didn't help our cause."
Zimmermann said she was happy with the support she received both at the polls and during debates across the riding.
"We got our message across," she said. "I learned a lot in this campaign. I've called all the candidates and I would like to see what we can do with all these parties to get proportional representation on the agenda. Maybe If I can help them see that, we can make some real changes." - With files from Patricia Hall
