Liberal candidate Arielle Kayabaga is projected to be elected in the riding of London West.
The win for Kayabaga, who has been city councillor for London’s Ward 13 since 2018, keeps the riding in Liberal hands following the departure of incumbent MP Kate Young. Young announced in March that she would not seek a third term, putting the riding up for grabs.
Young won the riding for a second term in 2019, collecting 43 per cent of the vote. Young was first elected in 2015, ending two terms of Conservative rule under Ed Holder. Holder would later be elected London’s mayor in 2018 in the same municipal election that saw Kayabaga elected Ward 13 councillor.
“The most important conversation tonight is that London West wants a mandate that moves Canadians forward, and wants a mandate that fights for climate action, for $10 child care for women, to support small businesses to get back to work, and access to housing for everyone,” Kayabaga told reporters at an election night event at Palasad South.
“Those are the things that I have been fighting for and championing as a city councillor and will continue to do as an MP.”
The open contest saw the four major party leaders all stumping in the riding in the final week of the campaign, with Maxime Bernier and Jagmeet Singh one day, and Erin O’Toole and Justin Trudeau another.
London West has flipped back and forth between the Liberals and the PC/Conservative party since 1968, but has voted Liberal most often. In the 53 years since London West was first contested, Liberals have represented the riding for at least 37 of them.
London West is home to 126,110 residents and 93,138 registered voters.
Immigrants make up close to 21.5 per cent of this riding’s population, according to the 2016 census. Statistics indicate that the riding has seen an influx of immigrants from Iraq, Syria and South Korea in recent years.
Situated in the northwest corner of London, Ont., the riding of London West sits right above Southdale Road west and to the west of Wonderland Road. All of London’s Byron neighbourhood is captured in this riding.
Candidates
Conservative: Rob Flack
Liberal: Arielle Kayabaga
NDP: Shawna Lewkowitz
People’s Party of Canada: Mike McMullen
Libertarian Party of Canada: Jacques Y Boudreau
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