All 4 Liberal cabinet ministers in B.C. hold onto their seats

When the Liberal government was dissolved for the 43rd Canadian federal election, British Columbia was home to four federal cabinet minsters.

Monday’s vote saw all of them returned to office.

Jonathan Wilkinson

Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Jonathan Wilkinson has been re-elected in the riding of North Vancouver, Global News projects.

Wilkinson fended off a concerted effort by Conservative challenger Andrew Saxton. Saxton was looking to re-enter public life, and had served as the area’s MP from 2008 to 2015.

Former journalist George Orr was the Green Party candidate, while the NDP ran Justine Bell.

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It’s a crucial hold for the Liberal minister, in a riding the party has only held for eight of the last 30 years. Prior to Wilkinson picking up the seat in the Liberals’ 2015 Metro Vancouver surge, the party had only managed to hold the riding from 2004-2008.

Wilkinson has been a visible member of the Liberal cabinet, presiding over the party’s signature oceans protection plan.

The $1.5-billion initiative formed a key part of the party’s attempt to balance the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline with environmental concerns.

Carla Qualtrough

Liberal Public Services Minister Carla Qualtrough has held on to keep the key riding of Delta in the Liberal fold, Global News projects.

Qualtrough fought off a determined effort by Conservative Tanya Corbet to hold onto a district that has traditionally been fertile conservative territory.

Qualtrough, a three-time Paralympic medalist, captured the riding easily back in 2015, beating the Conservatives by nearly 10,000 votes.

Prior to being promoted to minister of public services, Qualtrough held the sports and persons with disabilities portfolio in Trudeau’s cabinet.

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She has a law degree from the University of Victoria and served as counsel to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal and Canadian Human Rights Commission prior to her initial election in 2015.

The win is a big victory for the Liberals, who were seeking to cement their 2015 gains in Metro Vancouver, the party’s best showing in the region since the 1960s.

Prior to Qualtrough holding the riding, it had gone Conservative or Reform for three decades, and the Tories targeted it specifically.

It was no mistake that Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer chose Delta to unveil his costed platform earlier this month, and pledged to prioritize infrastructure projects like Delta’s Massey Crossing.

Harjit Sajjan

Liberal Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has been re-elected in Vancouver South, Global News projects.

Sajjan fended off a determined campaign by Conservative Wai Young in a rematch of the 2015 election, with the NDP’s Sean McQuillan coming in third.

Young previously served as MP for the ethnically diverse, working class riding from 2011-2015.

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Sajjan is a Canadian Forces veteran, who served one tour in Bosnia-Hertzgovina and three tours in Afghanistan.

He’s also an 11-year veteran of the Vancouver Police Department and served as a detective with the gang crimes unit, specializing in drug trafficking and organized crime.

The riding has a long history of flipping between Liberals and Conservatives, though with the exception of Young it has been in Grit hands since the 1993 election.

Joyce Murray

Liberal Digital Government Minister Joyce Murray has been re-elected in the west side riding of Vancouver Quadra.

Murray, who also serves as president of the Treasury Board, has held the riding since 2008, and beat her conservative challenger in 2015 by more than 17,000 votes.

This time, Conservative Kathleen Dixon, an investment banking executive, managed to narrow that gap, but not by enough.

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A loss in the riding would have been a major upset, given Murray’s name recognition, and the fact that the riding has gone Liberal in every election since 1984.

Murray previously sought leadership of the Liberal Party in the 2013 leadership race, finishing second behind Justin Trudeau.

She’s also served in the BC Liberal provincial government cabinet, where she was minister of water, land and air protection and minister of management services.