The counting took an especially long time in Nanaimo-Ladysmith, but the votes are now tallied and the riding has a new MP.
Lisa Marie Barron of the NDP, who finished election night with a 1,000-vote margin over runner-up Tamara Kronis of the Conservative Party, remained in first after mail-in ballots were counted Friday, Sept. 24.
Barron earned 19,896 votes, while Kronis received 18,615. Paul Manly of the Green Party, who had been the riding’s incumbent candidate, finished third in vote count with 17,640. Michelle Corfield of the Liberals ended up with 9,340 and Stephen Welton of the People’s Party of Canada had 3,385.
In a series of social media posts, Barron express gratitude to the community, her campaign team, volunteers, donors and supporters and also thanked the other candidates who put their names forward.
Barron told the News Bulletin she felt confident despite having to wait for the mail-in ballot count. She said she “felt really quite lucky” with the amount of support already shown.
“It was really positive knowing that the night ended with me ahead by about 1,000 votes, that was a really positive place to be, but I most definitely was very aware of the fact that there were a lot of votes pending…” she said. “I was apprehensively excited, waiting for the results to come in and knew at that point that there was still a chance that the Conservatives or Greens could have won.”
Barron said people she’s spoken to are excited about having an NDP member of Parliament in Ottawa working with party leader Jagmeet Singh and the other MPs who she said have been fighting for people and for the environment.
“I’m feeling beyond excited and thrilled to serve in this position and honoured that this community has put their trust in me,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to getting to work and seeing the positive impact of us having an NDP voice in Parliament.”
Manly expressed via social media his gratitude to his campaign team, volunteers and supporters. He said he’s proud of what he was able to accomplish in his tenure as MP and said his only regret is not being able to finish some of the work he started on a number of files from reconciliation to climate action.
“I will continue to find ways to work on these issues within our community, as I always have, and I urge each and every one of you to do the same, to the best of your ability,” he said.
The Nanaimo-Ladysmith Conservative Electoral District Association shared a message from Kronis on social media, which congratulated Barron on her electoral victory, acknowledged Manly for his service and recognized Corfield and Welton for their campaigns.
Kronis said she’s “deeply grateful” to all who supported her and said the campaign was a rewarding experience.
“I am proud of the campaign we ran and the foundation we’ve built for next time,” she said. “I look forward to continuing this journey and the many conversations yet to be had with my neighbours and friends in Nanaimo-Ladysmith.”
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