- Incumbent: Jennifer Rice (NDP | 2013)
- Candidates:
- NDP: Tamara Davidson
- Conservative: Chris Sankey
- Results:
- NDP – 73%
- Liberal – 23%
- Other – 4%
- Description:
- Not only is North Coast-Haida Gwaii one of the few NDP-Conservative fights across British Columbia, it’s also the province’s only plurality Indigenous riding - with two strong Indigenous candidates to boot in the NDP’s Tamara Davidson and the Conservatives’ Chris Sankey. North Coast-Haida Gwaii is made up of myriad Indigenous reserves that dot the coastline, combined with smaller remote settlements like Bella Bella and Port Edward, all anchored by the city of Prince Rupert - the only major population centre in the riding.
- In 2020, the BC Liberals slid to a cataclysmic 23% of the vote - the lowest in the party’s history since Gordon Wilson brought it back to relevance in 2021. The NDP, meanwhile, soared to an astronomically high 72% and scored their best showing that election. With Chris Sankey in the race, however, that certainly won’t be the case.
- One of John Rustad’s star candidates, Sankey hails from Lax Kw’ Alaams, an Indigenous village just north of Prince Rupert. Sankey has touted his credentials in job creation and the power of natural resource development in uplifting Indigenous communities into becoming proud and self-sufficient, along with taking a more hardline stance in addressing addiction and dedicating more healthcare resources to the neglected north.
- In many ways, he resembles Ellis Ross, another prominent Indigenous conservative. Both champion energy development as an avenue to prosperity, and are following similar electoral strategies - build outwards from traditional NDP strongholds thanks to local energy projects - in this case the Prince Rupert Gas Terminal, and combine that with their local roots to win. To even stand a chance at victory, Sankey will have to pick up where former Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond left off in the riding and build up centre-right regional strength in the North Coast Regional District.
- Seeking to hold onto the riding for the NDP is their new candidate, Tamara Davidson. A former Haida councillor and longtime public servant, Davidson’s path to victory is much more simple - replicate Jennifer Rice’s stellar performances in the Haida Gwaii archipelago and the Central Coast Regional District, where the NDP vote combined for a staggering 80% of the vote in 2020. Even if Sankey ties in Prince Rupert and the rest of the North Coast Regional District, the netted votes in the rest of the riding would be enough to elect Davidson.
- With the departure of a two-term incumbent, Davidson will have to work hard to connect with northern communities in a very short timespan. Simultaneously, Sankey will be running a fierce campaign in hopes of taking the riding away from the New Democrats. Whatever you do, don’t count out the unpredictability of politics up north.
Hugh Chan is a second year student at UBC studying International Relations and Data Science. You can find more coverage of the 2024 BC election as well as politics across East Asia and the Anglosphere at https://x.com/shxnhugh.
