Summary: The more northern of the two St. John’s area ridings, NDP MP Jack Harris is seeking re-election in St. John’s East after taking the seat with more than 70 per cent of the vote in both 2008 and 2011.
Boundaries: This riding is geographically slightly smaller than it was in 2011, with the southwest tip moving into the Avalon riding.
Last Election: NDP incumbent Jack Harris won re-election by a landslide in 2011, getting 71 per cent of the vote, and beating his Conservative opponent by 22,190 votes.
History: This riding was a PC/Conservative stronghold for MP Norman Doyle from 1997 until his retirement in 2008. When Harris was elected here in 2008, it was his second trip to Ottawa, having served for just one year as the MP after a by-election in 1987.
Demographics: The average income is $43,628, the second highest in Atlantic Canada. 4.8 per cent of residents were immigrants in the 2011 census, by far the highest number in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Candidates
Conservative: Deanne Stapleton, board member of the St. John’s Port Authority
NDP: Jack Harris, MP since 2008
Liberal: Nick Whalen, lawyer and professional engineer
Green: David Peters, musician and former faculty member at Memorial University
Communist: Sean Burton