Skip to content

Cullen a powerhouse on the islands

MP Nathan Cullen doubled his support on the islands in last month's federal election, results for local polls show.
On Jan. 23, Mr. Cullen, the NDP candidate, received 992 votes on the islands, way up from the 498 he received in the previous election, and despite the fact that fewer islanders voted this time around.
Conservative candidate Mike Scott received 307 votes on the islands, down from the 383 votes Conservative candidate Andy Burton received in 2004.
In fact, support for every party except the NDP declined on the islands, with Liberal Gordon Stamp-Vincent receiving 205 votes (compared to 721 for Miles Richardson in 2004), Green Phil Brienesse receiving 68 votes (compared to 136 for Roger Benham in the previous election), and the Christian Heritage Party's Rod Taylor receiving 11 votes (he received 13 last time around).
A total of 1,583 islanders voted in this election, down from the 1,757 who cast a ballot in June 2004. Turnout was somewhat higher at the south end, where 943 islanders cast a ballot, compared to 640 at the north end.
Mr. Cullen's share of the vote on the islands amounted to 63-percent, significantly more than the almost 50-percent he received across the riding. Support for the NDP was higher at the south end (67-percent compared to 57-percent at the north end), while the Conservatives received more support in the north (25-percent of north-end voters voted for Scott, compared to just 17-percent in the south-end polls).
Here's some numbers from Elections Canada:
o Results for the north end of the islands (Old Massett, Masset, Delkatla and Port Clements): Cullen-362, Scott-159, Stamp-Vincent-91, Brienesse-26, Taylor-2. TOTAL-640.
o Results for the south end of the islands (Tlell, Skidegate, Queen Charlotte and Sandspit): Cullen-630, Scott-148, Stamp-Vincent-114, Brienesse-42, Taylor-9. TOTAL-943.