Thanks to the voters of Nanaimo-Ladysmith, Elizabeth May got exactly what she asked for prior to the Monday by-election on Vancouver Island!
By any measure, it was a convincing victory for the Green party and candidate Paul Manly on Monday evening, as the Greens collected their second seat in the current parliament, securing the riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith by a plurality of 13 percent over the nearest rival Conservative Paul Hirst.
The by-election was called following the departure of former NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson for provincial politics, one of a number of incumbents who has taken leave of the federal scene in recent months.
And for the NDP the results of Monday night made for the second consecutive by-election loss of a seat under the new leadership banner of Jagmeet Singh.
Of particular concern for the Federal NDP is the fact that Nanaimo-Ladysmith was once considered an NDP stronghold and when one counts up the NDP and Liberal vote on the night, the latter coming in fourth in the balloting, even when combined the two established parties at 34% of the vote did not even make the measure of the Green Vote which registered 37% on the evening.
The loss for the NDP came following a fair bit of help both federally and provincially for candidate Bob Chamberlin, a highly regarded First Nations leader on the Island and a Vice President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, a candidate who many thought would have a strong showing and carry the day.
Among those that hit the pavement for the NDP candidate was North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice, who made note of the get out out the vote efforts on Sunday.
Though the results no doubt provided her and the other party members who lent a hand with some disappointment as the numbers rolled in on Monday evening.
Despite that backing of both the federal and provincial NDP political machines, the issues seemingly spoke the largest to the voters, with the Greens and Mr. Manly's presentation attracting significant attention.
More importantly they attracted votes, delivering 15,188 votes, more than enough to send Green Leader Elizabeth May a wedding gift from Vancouver Island, which now has sent two Federal MPs to the House of Commons for the final act of the current session of Parliament.
The lessons to be learned by the NDP and Liberals don't leave much time for electoral remediation, voters in Nanaimo-Ladysmith, like Skeena-Bulkley Valley and the rest of the Federation will all be heading to the polls in five months time ...
Locally, the results of Monday should offer come optimism for many of the Federal parties making ready to contest Skeena-Bulkley Valley, the vote of the by-election a signal that the political winds are heralding some change, and with the NDP about to face the electorate with a new face for the first time in fifteen years their usually strong grip on the riding may be loosening just a little bit.
Where in the past, Federal NDP officials may have taken Skeena-Bulkley Valley for granted as a sure win to be coloured in Orange, the changing landscape of the federal scene offers the potential for the Northwest to also add to the national narrative as soon as the October vote
The political entrails of Monday's vote suggest that with both the NDP and Liberals facing a number of internal issues at the moment, the path towards a significant Green breakthrough for the progressive vote is very much there.
The cracks in support for the Liberals and NDP, both of them of the more traditional centre left, may yield a very significant shift in how Canadians view their politics in the years and decades to come and may provide a surprise from the Northwest as well on election day.
More notes on Monday's by election from across BC as well as Canada, can be found below:
Green's Paul Manly wins Nanaimo-Ladysmith federal byelection
'Historic moment' as Nanaimo-Ladysmith elects Green MP
Green party wins Federal byelection in Nanaimo-Ladysmith
Greens claim historic 2nd federal seat with upset byelection win in Nanaimo-Ladysmith
Green candidate Paul Manly wins Nanaimo-Ladysmith by-election
Green Party's Paul Manly wins Nanaimo-Ladysmith by-election
Green Party's Paul Manly wins BC's Nanaimo-Ladysmith
A wider overview of federal politics can be found on our House of Commons Archive as well as through our political blog D'Arcy McGee.
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