Leading in the vote count in her B.C. riding, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has electoral reform on her mind.
At 11:30 p.m., with 104 of 245 polls reporting in Saanich-Gulf Islands, May appeared headed for victory with 47 per cent of cast votes (12,287), followed by Conservative candidate Gary Lunn with 35 per cent (9,044). If she wins the seat, it would mark the first ever federal seat election victory by the Green Party.
May offered her comments about a Stephen Harper majority at her campaign headquarters in British Columbia. She said that the Harper majority does not reflect reality in Canada.
“Stephen Harper’s majority is a false majority,” May said. “I will push for proportional representation.”
Lunn has been the MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands since 1997 and has served as the sport minister in Stephen Harper’s cabinet for five years. Completing the voting count at midnight, NDP candidate Edith Loring-Kuhanga earned 3,009 votes and Liberal Renee Hetherington 1,439 votes.