The sole riding in Alberta that didn’t vote Conservative in Monday’s federal election was Edmonton Strathcona, which remained NDP, despite the retirement of three-term MP Linda Duncan.
NDP candidate Heather McPherson was voted in, beating Conservative candidate Sam Lilly by more than 4,000 votes (with 88 per cent of polls reporting).
“We did it! We held the seat,” McPherson said to a crowd of supporters Monday night.
This marks the fourth consecutive term Edmonton Strathcona has had an NDP Member of Parliament.
Duncan had served as MP for the central Edmonton riding for 11 years.
During her acceptance speech, McPherson promised “to protect our climate and protect Albertans.”
McPherson also thanked Duncan “for turning this into an orange riding 11 years ago.”
Prior to dissolution, Alberta had four Liberal ridings. On Oct. 21, three of them turned Conservative blue.
McPherson admitted that being the only non-Conservative MP in Alberta could present challenges.
“We need to have a diversity of voices,” McPherson said. “It’s a mistake to not have people fighting for Albertans at all of the tables. I think we really need to think about who we send to Ottawa.”
“I’m delighted that I can go and fight at the NDP table, but I do wish there was more diversity that we brought forward in Alberta.”
McPherson was most recently the executive director of the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation.
–with files from Fletcher Kent and Kirby Bourne