Results, Ridings and Candidates

Nanaimo - Cowichan

2008 Results

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This central Vancouver Island riding reaches from the Strait of Georgia to the Pacific. It contains all of Cowichan Valley Regional District, part of Nanaimo Regional District and the Gabriola and Valdes Islands. Communities include Ladysmith, Duncan and that part of Nanaimo south of Wellington Road and Northfield Creek.

More than 13 per cent of residents are immigrants and nine per cent are aboriginal – in part because of the presence of the Cowichan reserve, which is among the largest in Canada.

The service sector, retail trade, construction and manufacturing are major industries here. The 2006 census shows an average family income of $67,474 and an unemployment rate of 7.2 per cent.

Nanaimo-Cowichan was created in 1986 from parts of Nanaimo-Alberni and Cowichan-Malahat-The Islands.

Population: 125,149 (2006 census; an increase of 7.2% since 2001)

Political History

New Democrat Jean Crowder was re-elected in 2006, besting Conservative Norm Snowden. In 2004, Crowder defeated Conservative Dave Quist by 6,315 votes.

For the previous two elections, the seat was held by Reform/Canadian Alliance candidate Reed Elley. In 1997, Elley defeated the NDP's Garth Mirau by 9,573 votes. Then, in 2000, he rebuffed Liberal Marshall Cooper by nearly 13,000 votes.

Between 1979 and 1993, New Democrats won three times here and the Tories once. Then, in 1993, Reformer Bob Ringma became MP with an easy win over a Liberal rival.