NDP MP-elect Fin Donnelly vows to hold the new Liberal government's feet to the fire on greenhouse gas emission targets to control climate change when he heads to Ottawa, this time at the behest of Port Moody-Coquitlam voters, a new riding in the Tri-Cities.
Environmental policies and climate change were hot-button issues for Donnelly, a fisheries department critic in the last Parliament, and so it was no surprise he raised the issue in his thank you speech Monday night at Pasta Polo restaurant in Coquitlam.
The evening started out as a nail-biter, a three-way race, in which the outcome was uncertain until about 9 p.m., when Donnelly was clearly ahead; the final polls gave him 35.8% of the vote.
"We talked to people about things that mattered to them, fighting climate change, protecting our environment, affordable housing, child care and jobs for young people," Donnelly said, after first congratulating his opponents: Liberal Jessie Adcock, who came second with 30.7%; Conservative candidate Tim Laidler, who was third with 29.9%; and Green Party candidate Marcus Madsen, who was fourth with 3.4%.
Donnelly admitted that the Liberal sweep across Canada hurt the NDP cause, noting that he lost a few "good colleagues" that night but he vowed to push on climate change targets.
Meanwhile, Adcock's supporters who watched the numbers on a big screen TV at the Brew Street pub in Port Moody, appeared happy with her party's sweep but their enthusiasm was tempered with the Port Moody-Coquitlam candidate's results. Adcock was ahead of Conservative Laidler, part of the Liberal surge in B.C., but it was not enough to guarantee a win.
"Once we hit some critical mass, the momentum shifted" toward a three-way race, Adcock said, and she said the Liberals' promise to spend $60 billion in infrastructure over 10 years was a key platform that drew in supporters.
"Housing, social, and green infrastructure, those are things that need to be done now," said Adcock, who will likely be returning to her job as chief digital officer for the city of Vancouver, from which she took a leave to run.
Conservatives who gathered at Westwood Plateau were glum despite the balloons and the buffet, to see their party lose so many seats nationally. Supporters wearing blue were in disbelief as the numbers rolled in on the giant TV screens above the stage.
Laidler said he was "obviously disappointed" at the results, but feeling great. "We left it all on the field," he said, thanking his volunteers, and promised to continue to advocate for veterans.
FINAL NUMBERS
Fin Donnelly (NDP) 19,702 35.8%
Jessie Adcock (Liberal) 16,888 30.7%
Tim Laidler (Conservative) 16,417 29.9%
Marcus Madsen (Green Party) 1,878 3.4%
Roland Verrier (Marxist-Leninist) 83 0.2%
Voter Turnout 69.85% (Does not include electors who registered on voting day)
For more photos of election night, visit here.
