Stephanie McLean will be riding the Liberal wave to Ottawa as the new member of Parliament for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke.
With 212 of 234 polls reporting, McLean had 22,092 votes (47.4%), ahead of the Conservatives' Grant Cool with 14,335 (29.8%), Maja Tait of the NDP with 9,147 (19%), the Greens' Ben Homer-Dixon at 1,491 and David Schaafsma of the Christian Heritage Party with 164.
McLean thanked her supporters at the Liberals' watch party held in Vic West.
“This is an amazing evening,” said McLean. “Thank you all for your support and for being here. This is incredible. I'm so grateful to the people of Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke for putting their faith and trust in me, to be able to represent them in the House of Commons.”
Looking forward to representing her constituency on Parliament Hill, McLean reiterated that Mark Carney is the best leader Canada could have chosen in these tumultuous political times.
“We need someone strong, someone smart, someone experienced in the economy to stand up to Donald Trump, and they know that that man is Mark Carney.”
Throughout the night, emotions were running high at the Liberal Party rally at the Victoria Scottish Community Centre.
"We showed up, we voted, and right now, we’re seeing the difference," said Shawn, a longtime Liberal supporter. "I’ve seen a lot of elections, and this one means something special – a majority to keep us moving forward."
While the Liberals took the lead across the country, some Conservative voters expressed their disappointment.
“I have been against the Liberals for a decade,” said Al Pellett, Greater Victoria resident and longtime Conservative supporter. “I don't like what Trudeau did. I don't like anything about the Liberal Party. I don't like anything about their dirty tricks. I was definitely hoping for considerable change.”
Finishing third in this election, the NDP’s Maja Tait kept her head high, even though the results were not what she had expected. Tait has served on Sooke council for 17 years and will return to her position as Sooke mayor – a position she was planning to step down from, should she win.
“We worked really hard and I’m proud of the campaign [we led],” she said. “I’m grateful for all the support and for the work of the volunteers. Tomorrow is another day."
As she reflected on her work over the past few weeks, Tait highlighted the importance of connecting with voters.
“It's always important to continue listening and connecting with residents,” she said. “Everyone matters, every voice matters, and we will see how the parties deliver on their commitments to local governments.”
Ready to take the reins, McLean is a local lawyer, former Alberta NDP MLA, and minister of Service Alberta and status of women. The Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke riding she has now won was previously represented by NDP MP Randall Garrison, who chose not to seek re-election after serving since 2015.
In the 2021 federal election, Garrison secured 28,056 votes, accounting for 42.8 per cent of the total. The Liberal candidate received 14,466 votes (22.1 per cent), while the Conservative candidate garnered 13,885 votes (21.2 per cent).
With a population of about 128,644, the riding is made up of voters from Saanich, Esquimalt, Metchosin, Sooke, Colwood, View Royal, Juan de Fuca, as well as Becher Bay, Esquimalt, Songhees and T'Sou‑ke nations.
