The Liberal’s victory wave carried all the way over to the North Shore.
Jonathan Wilkinson secured a spot alongside Justin Trudeau and the flood of surprising Liberal wins across Canada in a new majority government by defeating incumbent Conservative MP Andrew Saxton.
“It’s an enormous win for the whole team,” Wilkinson said to a room full of supporters in the Pinnacle hotel, before joining a larger celebration in Vancouver.
Wilkinson said some of the first things the new government will begin working on is their infrastructure program and changes to taxes across the country.
During his victory speech Saxton joined the new MP on stage for a quick display of respect for the close race. “You guys ran a hell of a race,” Saxton told the crowd who clapped for the Tory.
Prior to election night Wilkinson said the biggest issues in North Vancouver to be addressed by the new government are traffic congestion, affordable housing and the 2020 deadline for a new Lions Gate wastewater treatment plan.
Wilkinson obtained 36,358 votes compared to 17,301 for the previous MP. “I wasn’t expecting that we would win by such a wide margin,” Wilkinson said.