Summary: This is an updated version of the former Nanaimo-Alberni riding. The boundary changes mean the longtime Conservative MP for Vancouver Island North, John Duncan, is seeking re-election in a part of the island where 85 per cent of people have never seen his name on the ballot.
Boundaries: A large seat spanning central Vancouver Island, this riding includes the coastal communities between Parksville and Courtenay on the east coast of the riding, Tofino and Ucluelet on the west coast, and Port Alberni in the middle.
The riding previously used to include Lantzville/North Nanaimo, but exchanged that area with Courtenay/Cumberland to the north in redistribution.
Last Election: In Nanaimo-Alberni, retiring MP James Lunney, who was first elected as a Canadian Alliance MP in 2000, defeated his NDP challenger by 8.1 per cent.
However, redistribution has made this riding slightly more friendly for the NDP. Had it existed in the last election, the Conservatives would have taken it by just 4.2 per cent more votes than the NDP (based on polling results).
History: The area has voted for right-wing candidates since 1997, but previously was home to swing ridings. Provincially, towns along the Georgia Strait have supported right-wing parties, but everywhere else have supported the NDP historically.
Demographics: Home to many retirees because of the warm weather, the total number of seniors (27,460 in the 2011 census) and median age (50.8) is the highest in all of Canada. The average number of children per family is just 0.7, the eighth lowest in Canada.
Candidates
Conservative: John Duncan, MP for Vancouver Island North since 2008. Duncan has been an MP on Vancouver Island for all but two years since 1993 (he was defeated in 2006)
NDP: Gord Johns, former Tofino councillor and current Chamber of Commerce executive director
Liberal: Carrie Powell-Davidson, a two-term councillor with the City of Parksville
Green: Glenn Sollitt, a small business owner
Marxist-Leninist: Barbara Biley
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