Legislature House of Commons First contested 1935 District webpage profile, map Elector 85,900 | District created 1933 Last contested 2015 Province British Columbia | |
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MP Jenny Kwan
New Democratic Census divisions Metro Vancouver Regional District, Vancouver | ||
Vancouver eastside drug nightmare
Vancouver East (French: Vancouver-Est) is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1935. The riding of Vancouver East is the poorest in Canada with a median individual income of $24,374 (2010).
Contents
- Vancouver eastside drug nightmare
- Geography
- Federal riding associations
- Demographics
- History
- Current Member of Parliament
- References
Vancouver East is known as a New Democratic Party stronghold; the NDP and its Co-operative Commonwealth Federation predecessor have won all but two elections in the riding since its creation in 1933. Both losses (1974 and 1993) have come at the hands of Liberal candidates who failed to retain the seat at the next election. The Conservative Party and its right-leaning predecessors have always fared poorly in the riding, rarely garnering more than 20 percent of the vote.
In the 2006 federal election, the NDP won a higher percentage of the vote in Vancouver East than in any other riding in the country: 56.6%. In 2011 the NDP increased its majority win to 62.83%.
Geography
The district includes the City of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Mount Pleasant, Grandview–Woodland, and Hastings–Sunrise.
Federal riding associations
Riding associations are the local branches of the national political parties:
Demographics
This is a prominently industrial and working-class riding. It is home to North America's largest Chinatown as well as the impoverished Downtown Eastside. 42% of this riding are immigrants and 30% are of Chinese-Canadian descent. A high number, 63%, or residents here are renters compared to only 37% home owners. 24% of residents over age 25 have a university certificate or degree. Manufacturing, tourism, port-related industries, and accommodation and food service industries are vital to employment in this riding. The average family income is over $61,000. The unemployment rate is about 7.7%.
The ethnically diverse area is home to many of the city's artists and activists. In recent years, the area has been negatively affected by an influx of hard drugs and the problems associated with their use.
The riding is the least religious in Canada, with 55.1% of the population not adhering to any religion.
Ethnic groups: 45.5% White, 30.5% Chinese, 5.4% First Nations, 4.9% Southeast Asian, 4.9% Filipino, 2.2% South Asian, 1.7% Latin American, 1.5% Black, 1.1% Japanese
Languages: 46.6% English, 1.8% French, 49.3% Other, 2.3% Multiple languages
Religions: 22.2% Catholic, 11.9% Protestant, 8.6% Buddhist, 1.3% Muslim, 1.1% Christian Orthodox, 4.5% Other Christian, 47.4% No religious affiliation
Average income: $22,144
History
The electoral district was created in 1933 from Vancouver South and Vancouver—Burrard ridings.
Vancouver East was one two electoral districts in British Columbia that saw no changes to its boundaries proposed following the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution.
Current Member of Parliament
Its Member of Parliament (MP) is Jenny Kwan. She is a member of the New Democratic Party.