Tuesday October 22, 2019 ~ COWICHAN-MALAHAT-LANGFORD
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Green Party candidate Lydia Hwitsum became better known in the south island region during the federal election these past 40 days. As the candidate for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford she not only addressed her party’s environment and climate change issues but used the platform to bring forward Indigenous issues and the action of women in politics.
In the October 21 federal election Hwitsum came in third with 12,880 votes (20.2%) behind the re-elected NDP incumbent Alistair MacGregor and the second-place finisher Alana DeLong for the Conservatives.
Hwitsum’s campaign benefited by the resources of the national campaign, clearly enjoying the support of Green Party Leader Elizabeth May as did all the other Green candidates on Vancouver Island. However, only May and Paul Manly (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) achieved re-election on the island, leaving five of seven federal island seats still in the NDP stronghold.
“In a campaign you put yourself out there in such a big way. We had the support we had and did the best we could,” said Hwitsum in an election-followup phone interview with West Shore Voice News one day after the election, today.
“I’m pleased with the effort,” said Hwitsum. As for her biggest successes of the campaign: “Opening the doors, going forward with really strong candidates for the Green party, building the base, and bringing climate change to the forefront”. She said that “a big piece seems to be developing a strong base for Greens”. Hwitsum says that now a person can run as a good strong candidate for Green.
Hwitsum saw that the most important issue to voters in this riding across the board was affordability. “People are trying to makes lives,” is how she put it, referring to the need for quality child care so there’s an opportunity to be part of the economy. “There’s a big gap. People are reaching out, both First Nations and across the board, people are struggling in a lot of ways. There are a lot of limitations in the way society is developing,” said Hwitsum. She made particular note of the impact of this economy on seniors.
“As Greens we encouraged people to vote their values, but as the time for the election came we could see fear impact,” said Hwitsum. “People would tell us they just aren’t ready (to vote Green),” she acknowledged with disappointment.
Hwitsum is an environmental lawyer who knows how much it takes to move an issue and get things done. In this campaign she acknowledged how much coordination and work of many helping hands it took to get the job done.
“I could see the next generation of people participating and helping. They were so engaged. Adults were great, but the young people that will be voting in the next election — their voice, their energy, their concern for the future – I was inspired,” Hwitsum told West Shore Voice News.
To run for this campaign Hwitsum said she had to take leave from her position on the political executive of the First Nations Summit for BC. “The Chief (of Cowichan Tribes) gave me leave to participate in the federal election, with the opportunity to come back,” she explained. Hwitsum has previously served four two-year terms as the elected Chief of the Cowichan Tribes.
Hwitsum is looking forward to also getting back to a more normal work-life balance and seeing more of her grandchildren.
On the aspect of more women getting involved in politics, she feels that the work-life balance aspect is given strong consideration by women who may not see much chance of that in a fully-engaged public political life.
“There’s a structural aspect to it,” says Hwitsum thoughtfully. “There’s women’s roles in society and family that are all valid, and (then she suggests women conclude that) on top of that we’ll do this (politics). It still shocks me that there’s still imbalance in terms of a woman’s voice. A woman can say something, and then a man says it and gets a stronger response. It just gets heard differently. We’ll keep busting through, better than we ever have. A good full and happy life is important. How you create balance sometimes impedes the demands of a political career,” said Hwitsum.
====== Election Night Results (October 21, 2019) | Cowichan-Malahat-Langford:
There were 242 polls in the Cowichan-Malahat-Langford riding for this election. Voter turnout on October 21 (including Advance Poll numbers) was 63,802 of 92,637 (68.87%) which does not include electors who registered on election day. The population of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford is 108,052 (2016 census).
- ELECTED: Alistair MacGregor, NDP incumbent (23,095 votes | 32.6%)
- Second place: Alana DeLong, Conservative (16,456 votes | 25.8%)
- Third place: Lydia Hwitsum, Green (12,880 votes | 20.2%)
- Fourth place: Blair Herbert, Liberal (10,125 votes | 15.9%)
- Fifth place: Rhonda Chen, People’s Party (1,050 votes | 1.6%)
- Sixth place: Robin Morton Stanbridge, Christian Heritage (196 votes | 0.3%)