Green Party Leader Elizabeth May re-elected in Saanich-Gulf Islands

On an election night in Canada where the Liberal government went from a majority government to a minority, the political changes on Vancouver Island are virtually non-existent.

Of the seven electoral districts on Vancouver Island, the NDP has been elected in all five electoral districts it already held, while the Green Party has been elected in its two ridings.

Six of the Island's seven MPs were seeking re-election, with the exception of Victoria NDP representative Murray Rankin.

The full results:

• NDP MP Rachel Blaney was re-elected in North Island-Powell River with approximately 38 per cent of the vote.
• NDP MP Gord Johns was re-elected in Courtenay-Alberni with approximately 43 per cent of the vote.
• Green Party MP Paul Manly was re-elected in Nanaimo-Ladysmith with approximately 34 per cent of the vote.
• NDP MP Alistair MacGregor was re-elected in Cowichan-Malahat-Langford with approximately 36 per cent of the vote. 
• NDP MP Randall Garrison was re-elected in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke with approximately 34 per cent of the vote.
• NDP candidate Laurel Collins was elected in Victoria with approximately 34 per cent of the vote.  
• Green Party MP Elizabeth May was re-elected in Saanich-Gulf Islands with approximately 49 per cent of the vote.

Collins' victory means she will resign her position as a Victoria councillor, sparking a byelection. 

The Conservative Party finished in second place in five of the ridings, and the Greens in two. 

Green Party hopes fizzle

While the Green Party went into the campaign with high hopes to break through across the country, it appeared they would only gain a single seat in Fredericton. 

Early in the evening, leader Elizabeth May — who has been elected in her riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands — said she was pleased with initial results.

Video: Elizabeth May talks about the future

Greens will keep fighting, May says

5 years ago

Duration 1:13

"We can make a really significant contribution in a minority parliament," Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says to supporters in Victoria, B.C. Greens picked up 3 seats in the 2019 federal election.

"It'll be great to have a caucus that represents at the federal level more than B.C. MPs," she said. 

Despite the party failing to win additional seats on Vancouver Island, May put a positive spin on the night. 

"We are not disappointed. It's just an obstacle. This is the best Green result that any Green party has ever had," she said.

She also said she didn't think her party's lack of significant growth meant voters rejected the Green platform.

"The difficulty is that so much of what the other parties said, particularly the Liberals and the NDP, painted themselves, literally at one point, all of the Liberal social media painted itself green," she said. 

"You can't really dissect this and say that people who voted Liberal or NDP were giving up on climate."

Video: Elizabeth May addresses supporters on election night

May's full election night speech

5 years ago

Duration 9:06

Green Party Elizabeth May speaks to a crowd of supporters on election night in Victoria, B.C.