Voters in the British Columbia riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith will go to the polls today to elect a new member of Parliament. The seat has been vacant for several months since the NDP's Sheila Malcolmson stepped down for a successful run at provincial politics. Polls close at 8:30 p.m. local time (11:30 p.m. ET). CBC.ca will have updates on the results after the polls close. Nanaimo-Ladysmith was created in 2012 when the boundaries of two ridings — one encompassing Alberni and one Cowichan — were redrawn. The two ridings were solidly Conservative and NDP, respectively, meaning the new riding has strong bases for two parties on opposing ends of the spectrum. Macolmson took the riding by 10 points in the 2015 election, but the Liberals and Conservatives also put up strong and nearly identical showings at around 23 per cent of the vote. The Green party also captured around 20 per cent of the vote in the last election, and they are a competitive player on Vancouver Island. They've put up strong provincial showings in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, and this is the last chance for the party to pick up a second federal seat before the election campaign. Environmental issues tend to influence votes in this part of the province, and with three parties claiming the left of the spectrum, vote-splitting could factor into the results of this byelection. The main candidates are: NDP: Bob Chamberlin, former vice president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs Conservatives: John Hirst, Sun Life Financial manager Liberals: Michelle Corfield, a First Nations leader who served as chair of the Nanaimo Port Authority Greens: Paul Manly, communications specialist and former candidate in this riding All of the party leaders have made appearances in the riding during the campaign. This is the fourth federal byelection of the year, after three were decided in February. In the Feb. 25 byelection, voters preserved the Conservatives' long string of wins in Ontario's York-Simcoe by electing Scot Davidson. The Liberals, with candidate Rachel Bendayan, regained Montreal's Outremont riding, which was held by former NDP leader Tom Mulcair before he resigned as an MP last August. Current NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh earned a seat in the House of Commons with a win in Burnaby South, which was vacated last September by former New Democrat MP Kennedy Stewart, now Vancouver's mayor. CBC Politics' new weekly Canada Votes newsletter Get analysis from our Parliamentary bureau as we count down to the federal election. Delivered to your inbox every Sunday evening – then daily during the campaign. Sign up here.<doc-sep>The Greens toppled the NDP in the last by-election before this fall's general election, and will send a second MP to Ottawa The voters of Nanaimo-Ladysmith, a B.C. riding just over an hour’s drive north from Victoria, cast their ballots in the last by-election before the federal election this fall, and elected Paul Manly of the Green party as their new MP. Manly will join party leader Elizabeth May in Ottawa, becoming the second Green member in Parliament. Manly won 37.3 per cent of the vote, with the Conservative candidate a distant second, with 24.8 per cent. The NDP, which previously held the seat, came third. Maclean’s writers have had their eyes on Greens for several months. In January, Jason Markusoff wrote about the party’s glimmers of electoral success in more and more provinces across Canada. Anne Kingston wrote just a few days ago about the Greens’ broadening appeal in a polarized political landscape. Polls in Nanaimo-Ladysmith closed at 8:30 pm PT, May 7, 2019.<doc-sep>The most astute words I heard about the Nanaimo-Ladysmith federal by-election days before a vote that elected Green Party candidate Paul Manly on Monday night to a seat held by the NDP didn’t come from a political operative. They were delivered by a local hotel manager who declared himself non-partisan. Like anyone you spoke to in the riding, no matter what political stripe, he found the by-election a waste of time and money, given that everyone is going to have to gear up to vote again in October. But he knew its importance: “It’s really a message election,” he said, “It’s a chance to tell Ottawa how we feel.” By that metric, Manly’s decisive victory — 37.1 per cent of the vote with 96 per cent of polls reported at time of writing — signals a sea-change since the 2015 election, as well as frustration with the current political status quo. In 2015, Manly, son of former federal NDP MP Jim Manly, placed fourth, with 19.8 percent of the vote. The seat was won by the NDP’s Sheila Malcolmson with 33.2 per cent, followed by the Liberals (23.5 per cent), and Conservatives (23.4 per cent). This time out, Manly nearly doubled his 2015 numbers. Conservative John Hirst placed second with 25.1 per cent, followed by New Democrat Bob Chamberlin (22.9 per cent), and Liberal Michelle Corfield (11.1 per cent). Trailing behind were parties that represented differing points on the conservative spectrum: Jennifer Clarke of the People’s Party of Canada lead by Maxime Bernier (3 per cent), Jakob Letkemann of the National Citizens Alliance (0.2 per cent), and Brian Marlatt of the centre-right Progressive Canadian Party (0.6 per cent). The election of Manly, a filmmaker and communications specialist, doubles the federal Green caucus from one to two, and brings to an end Green Party leader’s Elizabeth May solitary sojourn in the House of Commons since 2011. “We now have gender parity,” Manly joked on Monday night before a cheering crowd at Cavallotti Lodge, a unprepossessing cinder-block reception hall on the outskirts of Nanaimo. The setting itself was less partisan power nexus than wedding reception thrown by frugal, eco-conscious relative. Flowers and grasses lined the entrance, fairy lights strung overhead. Food — vegetable platters alongside cheese and crackers — was laid out. Only the TV cameras, DJ and screens on mute broadcasting electoral results suggested something else was afoot. The bump in federal Green representation, while seemingly minute, echoes larger recent gains by the provincial Green parties, most notably last month’s historic breakthrough in P.E.I. where the Greens now comprise the official opposition to a Conservative minority government. Vancouver Island, a traditional NDP stronghold, is strategically vital to the Greens; May represents the riding of Saanich–Gulf Islands, viewed as a toe-hold as the party looks to grow federally. Toppling the strong NDP machine in Nanaimo is significant. One Green organizer boasted about the effectiveness of the party’s “Get out the Vote” program, noting the failure to do so in P.E.I. likely cost them the majority that was predicted. When Malcolmson vacated the seat in January 2019 to run for provincial politics (a race she won), she announced just before the nine-month cut-off before a federal election — after which vacancies in the House of Commons don’t need to be filled. Malcolmson argued that the seat should remain vacant until the general election to no avail. Elections Canada and the PMO disagreed. Two other ridings, both Liberal strong-holds made vacant in early 2019, remain so: Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel (Quebec) and Kings–Hants (Nova Scotia), Scott Brison’s former seat. There was also griping that by-election could deplete war chests of less prosperous parties: the Liberals only spent $22,000 in Nanaimo-Ladysmith in 2015, while Manly raised $145,000, and the Conservatives and the NDP spent over $130,000 each. To see Nanaimo-Ladysmith as a proxy for the nation is a mistake, yet the willingness to vote Green can’t be ignored. The riding of 99,413 eligible voters, created with the merging of two electoral districts in 2012 (Nanaimo-Alberni, historically Conservative, and Nanaimo-Cowichan, historically NDP), skews lower in terms of household income, older, with more than 20,000 seniors, and with far higher unemployment than the national average. The riding is politically engaged: the 75 per cent turnout in the 2015 federal election exceeded the national average of 68.5 per cent. There was standing room only at last week’s all-candidates debate where Manly delivered a message that clearly resonated: “If you elect me, we are going to fire up this country and we are going to get some things done because they are going to notice that people in Nanaimo-Ladysmith care about climate change, you care about the next generation, you care about the future. It’s important what we do here.” Issues pertaining to the intersection of Man and Nature are writ large here, a place of immense natural beauty where highways lined with ValueLodges, A&Ws, strip malls and car dealerships slice through emerald forests. The earth’s resources have fuelled the local economy since the 19th century — first coal mining, then forestry. Lumber and fishing remain major industries, augmented by government services and tourism. But concerns are mounting. As Green supporters awaited poll results on Monday night, talk focused on the news of a chilling UN global assessment report released earlier that day that concluded more than 1 million species were under risk of extinction, putting human society under urgent threat. A week before Monday’s election, city council passed a motion officially declaring a climate emergency. (Four supporting motions included refreshing an unused emissions reduction reserve incorporating new targets in the community sustainability action plan, requesting 20,000 hours of public transit expansion, and advocating that the provincial government reinstate community emissions reporting.) Housing affordability is another major worry, given the influx of Vancouver area residents after cashing in on their real-estate lottery. A starter home can run half a million dollars. Gas here costs $1.54 a litre; two retirees report only putting $40 worth in their car because that was all they could afford. Crime is rising, as is drug addiction.<doc-sep>NANAIMO, B.C. -- Voters in Nanaimo, B.C., elected the Green Party's Paul Manly as their new member of Parliament, barely six months before October's federal election. With about 93 per cent of the ballots counted in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith byelection, Manly has taken about 38 per cent of the vote. John Hirst, the Conservative candidate, is a distant second with 25 per cent of the vote. Manly will become the second Green Party member in Parliament, joining Leader Elizabeth May. "This bodes well for the Green Party across Canada," he said. His victory shows the other parties that Canadians are serious about climate change, Manly said, adding he expects the Green wave of support to grow in the October election. On Monday evening he stood on the victory stage with his parents who Manly said were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this week. "On Friday, I'm going to Ottawa. Our campaign slogan was together we can do this. Today we did. In October we're going to do it all over again." Manly said he was heading to Ottawa to help Leader Elizabeth May. "I'm so looking forward to working with her to double the Green caucus." He told crowd of jubilant supporters that he will work hard to do better for the community. "How we can change the economy -- that we are working in to protect the environment that we need for our health, for our children, for our grandchildren," he said. "How we can do a better job of taking care of people who are less fortunate." He said governments should stop subsidizing the "old" economy. "We moved beyond the horse and buggy and its time to move beyond the internal combustion engine," Manly said, as the crowd cheered. It's also time that the government stop giving foreign multinationals tax breaks that "frack our environment and expand oil production," he said. "Those days should be over. It's time to move forward," Manly said. "I will not compromise on the future of our children and our grandchildren." Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, the MP for the Vancouver Island riding of Saanich Gulf-Islands, called Manly's win on Monday the dawn of a new era in federal politics. She thanked Manly, his volunteers and the voters of the riding. "It is brave to vote for real change. Paul and I will work tirelessly to continue to earn the trust of Canadians. Paul will make Nanaimo-Ladysmith proud," May said in a statement. Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party also offered his congratulations, saying Manly ran a "principled campaign on a powerful vision for his community." Whether it is the changing economy, widening income inequality, the housing crisis, or the climate disaster, Greens across the country have become important contributors in the political landscape, Weaver said. Manly, is a researcher, a filmmaker and a communications specialist. He was the Green Party's candidate in 2015 in the same riding and finished fourth with 20 per cent of the vote. The riding has been vacant since January when former New Democrat MP Sheila Malcolmson resigned the seat to run successfully in a provincial byelection in Nanaimo. This is the third election in eight months for residents of this Vancouver Island city. Seven candidates were in the contest, which saw five federal leaders visit the riding, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer. The Nanaimo area has traditionally swung back and forth between New Democrat or Conservative-leaning MP's.<doc-sep>
Green Party candidate Paul Manly has won the federal byelection in the B.C. riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith. Manly is the second Green candidate elected to a federal seat after the party's leader, Elizabeth May, the sole elected Green MP in the House of Commons since 2011. With almost 99 per cent of polls reporting, Manly had 37.3 per cent of the vote. Conservatives captured 24.8 per cent, and the NDP 23.1 per cent. The Liberals lagged behind with 11 per cent. Manly's victory in the Vancouver Island riding comes with less than six months remaining before October's general election. In a written statement released shortly after results were announced, the Green Party of Canada said the win "hailed the dawn of a new era in federal politics," and noted the riding had traditionally been an NDP stronghold. May thanked voters, writing "it is brave to vote for real change." 'Political courage' Manly, who previously captured 20 per cent of the vote in the same riding in 2015, said his win four years later suggests Canadians are ready for a "different kind of politics," and are focused on working across party lines. He said he believes affordable housing, homeless camps — and most importantly climate change — are the issues that led the party to victory. "There's so much technology available to us, there's so much we could be doing, it's just a matter of [having] the political courage to do that, and I think people saw that in me," he said. "Whether it's people dealing with floods in the east or forest fires in the west, people are seeing the threat now. Our forests are dying around us and it's time to take bold action." Ran over to Green Party headquarters. Jubilant atmosphere here a huge contrast to dejected mood at NDP headquarters. Winning candidate Paul Manly grinning ear to ear. @cbcnewsbc #cbc #bcpoli #cdnpoli #NanaimoLadysmith #byelections2019 pic.twitter.com/ozYq5V45zM —@CBCtanya B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver also issued a statement, calling Manly an "extraordinary colleague" for May in Ottawa. The last of four byelections held in 2019, the Nanaimo-Ladysmith race was seen by many as a litmus test for the federal election in October. The contested seat has been vacant since early January, when the NDP's Sheila Malcolmson stepped down for a successful run at provincial politics. Monday's vote is the latest in a string of elections in the Vancouver Island community. There was a municipal vote in October, after which Leonard Krog, the five-term NDP member of the B.C. legislature, resigned to serve as mayor of Nanaimo. Krog's municipal victory triggered a provincial byelection which was won by Malcolmson, leaving her federal seat open. That means that by the federal election next fall, voters in the riding will be facing their fourth election in 12 months. 'There's still NDP in this town' At a viewing party, NDP candidate Bob Chamberlin told a thinning crowd "there's still the NDP in this town." "This turnout isn't the outcome we were hoping for ... but we have a lot to be proud of as NDP tonight," he said. People leave a polling station before the Nanaimo-Ladysmith byelection on Vancouver Island. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press) Nanaimo–Ladysmith was created in 2012 when the boundaries of two ridings — one encompassing the community of Alberni and the other Cowichan — were redrawn. The two ridings were solidly Conservative and NDP, respectively, meaning the new riding had strong bases for two parties on opposing ends of the political spectrum. Macolmson took the riding by 10 points in the 2015 election, but the Liberals and Conservatives also put up strong and nearly identical showings at around 23 per cent of the vote.