Harjit Sajjan headed for repeat victory in Vancouver South
Credit to Author: Kevin Griffin| Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2019 04:51:59 +0000
Harjit Sajjan, the Liberal defence minister, appeared headed to re-election Monday with about 41 per cent of the votes counted.
Longtime Liberal Prem Singh Vinning said 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,” Vinning said ”We had a very good machine that we put together.”
Early results showed Sajjan leading all candidates in Vancouver South followed by Wai Young for the Conservatives.
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.”
Vinning was among many Sajjan supporters gathered on the second floor of Fraserview Banquet Hall at Fraser and Southwest Marine Drive. They were served food that included curried chick peas and green peppers and samosas.
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.
Other candidates in the 2019 election were Sean McQuillan for the NDP, Judy Zaichkowsky for the Greends, and Alain Deng for the People’s Party.
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.