Summary: An increasingly urban riding, Abbotsford was the most Conservative riding in B.C. last election.
Boundaries: This riding used to contain all of the city of Abbotsford, but no longer contains Matsqui, Mount Lehman, and north Clearbrook because of redistribution.
Last Election: Minister of International Trade Ed Fast won this riding by 44.8 per cent over the NDP last election, the party’s largest margin of victory in British Columbia in 2011.
History: The area has gone to a right-wing party for as long as Abbotsford has had its own riding, generally by large margins. The last time the eastern half of the Fraser Valley elected someone from a different part of the political spectrum was 1968, when a Liberal was elected.
Demographics: Immigrants account for 26 per cent of the population, and 20 per cent are of Indian origin. This district is home to the largest population of people whose ethnic origin is Dutch, at 12.2 per cent of residents.
Candidates
Conservative: Ed Fast, MP since 2006
NDP: Jennifer Martel, lifeguard, graduated from university last year
Liberal: Peter Njenga, accountant
Green: Stephen Fowler, teacher
Marxist-Leninist: David MacKay
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