2023 Langford-Juan de Fuca provincial by-election
A by-election was held in the provincial riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca in British Columbia on June 24, 2023, to elect a new member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia following the resignation of NDP Premier of British Columbia John Horgan. Advance voting was held June 16 to 21.[1]
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Riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 26.25% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The by-election was held on the same day as one in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.[2]
Background
Constituency
The seat is named after the city of Langford and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The seat also contains the Highlands district and Sooke.
Representation
The seat has been held by the British Columbia New Democratic Party for most of its history,[3] having voted NDP in every election since 1979 except for the 2001 Liberal landslide.
On February 9, 2023, Horgan announced that he would resign as MLA that March and retire from politics.[4]
Candidates
- Camille Currie (Green), founder and president of BC Health Care Matters[5]
- Mike Harris (Conservative), real estate agent[6]
- Elena Lawson (United), autism advocate[7]
- Ravi Parmar (New Democrat), Sooke School District chair[8]
- Tyson Riel Strandlund (Communist), non-profit regional director[9]
Results
NDP candidate Ravi Parmar was elected MLA with a substantial majority but a reduced vote share compared to former premier John Horgan's performance in 2020.
The Conservative Party candidate placed second, ahead of the Green Party and the major centre-right party, BC United, which had recently re-branded itself from the BC Liberal Party. The Conservative candidate ran on a platform highlighting local issues like lowering taxes and advocating for a light rail line.[10] A Conservative candidate had not run in Langford-Juan de Fuca or its predecessor ridings since the 2001 election.
| British Columbia provincial by-election, Langford-Juan de Fuca: June 24, 2023: Langford-Juan de Fuca | ||||||||
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| ** Preliminary results — Not yet official ** | ||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Ravi Parmar | 7,224 | 53.35 | −14.55 | ||||
| Conservative | Mike Harris | 2,689 | 19.86 | |||||
| Green | Camille Currie | 2,386 | 17.62 | +0.95 | ||||
| United | Elena Lawson | 1,169 | 8.63 | −6.32 | ||||
| Communist | Tyson Riel Strandlund | 74 | 0.55 | +0.06 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 13,542 | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | 26.25 | −29.10 | ||||||
| Registered voters | 51,588 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | −17.20 | ||||||
2020 result
| 2020 British Columbia general election: Langford-Juan de Fuca | ||||||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | John Horgan | 18,073 | 67.89 | +15.14 | $29,254.09 | |||
| Green | Gord Baird | 4,437 | 16.67 | −2.46 | $15,772.59 | |||
| Liberal | Kelly Darwin | 3,980 | 14.95 | −11.15 | $3,601.34 | |||
| Communist | Tyson Riel Strandlund | 130 | 0.49 | – | $123.40 | |||
| Total valid votes | 26,620 | 99.54 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 122 | 0.46 | +0.03 | |||||
| Turnout | 26,742 | 55.35 | –6.76 | |||||
| Registered voters | 48,316 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | +8.80 | ||||||
| Source: Elections BC[11][12] | ||||||||
References
- "Byelection called for Langford-Juan de Fuca, John Horgan's former seat". Times Colonist. May 28, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- Premier, Office of the (May 27, 2023). "Byelections called for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, Langford-Juan de Fuca | BC Gov News". news.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- "Former premier John Horgan officially resigns B.C. seat of Langford-Juan de Fuca". thestar.com. March 31, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- "Former B.C. premier John Horgan open to job offers from Canucks, Trudeau as he announces retirement". CBC News. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- "Green candidate announced for Langford-Juan de Fuca byelection". Times Colonist. April 8, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- "Conservatives field candidate for first time in Langford-Juan de Fuca". Times Colonist. May 29, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- "Autism advocate to run for BC United in byelection to replace Horgan". Times Colonist. May 10, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- "B.C. politics: NDP names candidate in byelection for Horgan's vacant seat | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- "Candidate profiles for the June 24 byelection in Langford-Juan de Fuca". Times Colonist. June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- "BC NDP wins Langford-Juan de Fuca byelection to replace John Horgan". Victoria News. June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- "Statement of Vote — 42nd Provincial General Election" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- "Election Financing Reports". Elections BC. Retrieved February 2, 2021.