In 2013: BC Liberal Incumbent Moira Stilwell easily beat George Chow (52 per cent – 38 per cent).
In 2009: Stillwell defeated NDP candidate Helesia Luke by over 4,000 votes, 59-35 per cent.
The NDP has never come even remotely close to winning this riding. Incumbent Moira Stilwell isn’t running, which is the only thing on the plus side for the New Democrats.
History & Geography: Created for the 1991 election, this riding is bordered by 33rd Avenue to the north, the Fraser River to the south, Main and Fraser Streets to the east and Granville and Angus to the west. A descendant of the old Vancouver South riding, this area has only elected an NDP candidate once, in 1972. The NDP has support in the Marpole area, but the Liberals have traditionally done very well in the area just south of Shaughnessy. With a high-profile NDP candidate in the running, and the Liberal Incumbent not running again, the NDP is hoping to pick this seat up. The situation is complicated by a high-profile Green Party candidate.
Candidates
BC Liberals’ Michael Lee is a lawyer. Lee is a partner with Lawson Lundell LLP. He is also a board member with the YMCA of Greater Vancouver Foundation.
NDP’s James Wang has been a Burnaby city councillor since 2014. Wang previously served two terms as a Burnaby school trustee. He came to Canada in 1996 and is fluent in Mandarin and English. In 2016 Wang lost a battle for the Burnaby North federal NDP nomination.
Green Party’s Janet Fraser moved to Vancouver in 1993, and has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Bristol. Until her recent firing, Fraser was the swing vote on the Vancouver School Board, as the only Green voice on a board otherwise split 4-4.
Surinder Singh Trehan is running for Your Political Party of BC (YPP. The YPP is running nine candidates in 2017. Their “open platform” includes a Reddit-based online discussion, and a focus on “open government” and sustainability.
2017 Stats: Vancouver-Langara
Population (2014): 60,041 (17th)
Population Deviation from Average: 13 per cent
Area: 15 sq km (75th)
Pop Density: 4,002.7 (13th)
Average Age: 42 years (37th)
English as Second Language: 65.49 per cent (6th)
Top 3 Second Languages:
Cantonese – 14.11 per cent
Chinese, n.o.s. – 12.81 per cent
Mandarin – 9.57 per cent
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