Government

Voting Lessons: Some B.C. takeaways from a very boring federal election

The 2021 federal election was the remake of 2019 that no one asked for. But its rubble still yields a few tidbits for B.C.

By Nathan Caddell /

Credit: iStock

Greens Grounded

With 12.4 percent, B.C. had the third-highest proportion of Green Party voters in 2019, trailing only New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The 2021 share was still higher than the national average but plunged to 5.3 percent (second to PEI). The Greens also lost one of their two seats in the province, only keeping former leader Elizabeth May‘s ironclad safe riding of Saanich–Gulf Islands. You have to wonder how that affects the BC Greens and Leader Sonia Furstenau’s chances.

For the People?

Though they didn’t win a seat across the country, the People’s Party of Canada managed to almost triple its vote share in B.C.–from 1.7 percent to 4.9 percent. In one Vancouver riding, a PPC candidate compared vaccine passports to residential schools, so that increase is, um, scary?

Conserve the Vote

Once again, the Conservatives led the way in B.C., garnering 33.2 percent of total ballots, roughly one point less than in 2019. The result? Just 13 seats versus the Liberals’ 15. Still, don’t mention proportional representation to any Tory you know.

No Dipping

Meanwhile, the NDP and Leader/local MP Jagmeet Singh saw a strong show of support, increasing their B.C. vote share from 24.4 percent to 29.2 percent and grabbing 13 seats–two more than in 2019. For total votes, the party finished second in the province to the Conservatives.

READ MORE: Five questions with the NDP‘s Jagmeet Singh

The Terminator

The candidate with the most votes in B.C. was Conservative MP Mel Arnold, who took North Okanagan–Shuswap for the third election in a row, this time earning 33,626 ballots.

Not Cast Away

Liberal Wilson Miao won with the smallest number of votes, gathering 13,440 in Richmond Centre to narrowly unseat incumbent Conservative Alice Wong.