NDP wins big on Vancouver Island, bucks Liberal trend

The Liberal red surge gave way to an orangewave on Vancouver Island where NDP candidates were elected in all but one of the seven Island ridings, providingperhaps the only bright spot for Thomas Mulcair's team that was otherwise devastated, retaining just 44 of the 103 seats it won in 2011.

The biggest upset came in the riding of Courtenay-Alberni where Gordon Johns unseated longtime Conservative and former Reformincumbent John Duncan, winning 38per cent of the votes to Duncan's 28per cent. Johns is a former Tofino councilor.

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The closest a Liberal candidate came to winning was inEsquimault-Saanich-Sooke where David Merner finished second, more than5,000 votes behindNDP incumbent Randall Garrison.

NDP incumbentMurray Rankinheld on to his seat in Victoria with a comfortable win over second place Green Party candidate Jo-Ann Roberts.Rankin said a historic lack of Liberal support on Vancouver Island sent voters looking for change to the NDP.

"Everybody agreed on one fundamental point. We've got to get rid of Stephen Harper," said Rankin. "People in other parts of Canada chose a different vehicle than here to do that."

NDP campaign volunteerMelissaMorozsaid the NDP's strong stand on environmental issues resonatedwith people on Vancouver Island.

"I think we have a unique perspective because of the beautiful place that we live, and our proximity to the ocean." said Moroz.

Other victorious NDP candidateswere newcomers Alistair MacGregor in Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, Sheila Malcolmson in Nanaimo-Ladysmith, and Rachel Blaneyin North Island-Powell River.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May was the only non-NDPwinner on Vancouver Island,winning her Saanich-Gulf Islands riding in a landslide to retain the one and only Green Party seat in Ottawa.