For four years, NDP MP Rachel Blaney has travelled by air or water to meet voters in the North Island-Powell River, one of the few ridings in Canada where there isn’t a road connecting the communities.

Heading into the 2015 election, the Conservatives were favoured to win the riding, but Blaney, a political newcomer, won the seat by around 8,500 votes over Tory candidate Laura Smith. Blaney finished with 24,340 votes (40.2 per cent) while Smith and Liberal Peter Schwarzhoff were very close, with the Conservative capturing 15,840 votes (26.2 per cent) and the Liberal getting 15,416 votes (25.5 per cent).

This time around the Greens are looking for a breakthrough. Polling numbers suggest the party is in contention across Vancouver Island, but of all the island seats this one is likely the toughest sell.

Both Blaney and Schwarzhoff are running again in 2019. Mark de Bruijn is the Green candidate while Port McNeill city councillor Shelley Downey hopes to get the Conservatives back into the win column on Vancouver Island.

Candidates

NDP: Rachel Blaney
Liberal: Peter Schwarzhoff
Conservative: Shelley Downey
Green: Mark de Bruijn
People’s Party of Canada: Brian Rundle

Geography

The northern Vancouver Island riding covers Port Hardy, Campbell River and Powell River.

Demographics

European 83,690 80.7 per cent
Aboriginal 13,600 13.1 per cent
Filipino 760 0.7 per cent
Chinese 655 0.6 per cent

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