Harjit Sajjan wins second term in Vancouver South
Credit to Author: Kevin Griffin| Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2019 08:04:45 +0000
Harjit Sajjan said Monday evening that he was humbled when the people of Vancouver South first elected him four years ago and put their trust in him to represent them in Ottawa.
“Now, once again, you have honoured me with this trust,” Sajjan said to cheering supporters in Fraserview Banquet Hall.
“I will continue to focus on and continue to build up our wonderful community.”
With 194 of 194 polls reporting, Sajjan had 17,442 votes (41.1 per cent of the total). Wai Young, the Conservative candidate, was in second at 14,222 (33.5 per cent) and Sean McQuillan, the NDP candidate, in third with 7,841 (18.5 per cent).
Sajjan was defence minister in the Justin Trudeau government.
Sajjan said while some seats were still being decided, Canadians have chosen a minority Liberal government that had a “progressive vision for Canada.”
He said now it’s time for Liberals “roll up our sleeves and work hard” for the next four years to support a stronger middle class.
“We’ll make it easier for children to enter the housing market, help parents and grandparents make their retirement more comfortable. We’ll invest in families, giving our children a real and fair chance at success.”
Longtime Liberal Prem Singh Vinning was one of many supporters on hand to congratulate Sajjan. He said earlier that Sajjan not only had an effective campaign team, he was an ideal candidate respected throughout the diverse riding.
”The campaign was well organized, well run,” said Vinning, who was instrumental in bringing Sajjan to the Liberals. ”We had a very good machine that we put together.”
Vinning said Sajjan was “absolutely” a candidate who attracted support across ethnic boundaries.
“Harj resembles what immigrants dream of. You come to the country, you work hard, you succeed, you reach one of the highest offices in the county, and you do it with class and dignity. Harj portrays that and people see that.”
According to Elections Canada, Vancouver South has 74,114 registered voters out of a population of 102,927.
It is an ethnically diverse riding with no single group in the majority: almost 39.8 per cent are of Chinese heritage, 22 per cent European, 14.3 per cent South Asian and 12.2 per cent Filipino.
Although a federal Vancouver South district dates back to the early 20th century, it was re-created for the 2004 federal election when Ujjal Dosanjh, a former B.C. NDP premier, won the riding for the Liberals. He won again in 2006 and 2008. From 2011 to 2015, it was represented by Young for the Conservatives.
In 2015, she was defeated by Sajjan who had 21,773 votes or 48.8 per cent of the total, while Young had 15,115 or just under 34 per cent.
Judy Zaichkowsky for the Greens received 2,375 votes (5.6 per cent), and Alain Deng for the People’s Party, 527 (1.2 per cent).
The riding extends from 41st Avenue on the north, the shoreline on the Fraser River to the south, Granville Street to the west and roughly Boundary Road to the east.