2005 Candidates (as received from Elections B.C.):
- Maurine Karagianis, New Democratic Party of B.C.
- Jane Sterk, Green Party of BC
- Tom Woods, BC Liberal Party
District Profile:
Occupying the south tip of Vancouver Island, Esquimalt-Metchosin reaches from Thetis Lake Park in the north to Christopher Point in the south, while Dominion Road and Arm Street divide the riding from the City of Victoria to the east. Several of the suburbs that stretch west from the downtown core of Victoria are here, including Esquimalt, View Royal and the major parts of Colwood and Metchosin. The riding includes the naval base at Esquimalt, meaning 20 per cent of the riding's workers are employed by government. Retail trade is the second-biggest employer. The average family income is $61,613 – slightly under the provincial norm – but unemployment is 6.1 per cent. Only one in eight residents is an immigrant, while one in 25 is aboriginal.
Political History:
The incumbent in Esquimalt-Metchosin is Liberal Arnie Hamilton, who gained office in 2001, winning a nine-way race by a 3,000-vote margin over runner-up Maurine Karagianis of the NDP. Between 1986 and 2001 this was the seat of New Democrat Moe Sihota, who twice resigned from cabinet (and was twice reinstated) following two unrelated conflict-of-interest controversies. Despite that, all three of Sihota's election wins were by substantial margins. Before Sihota, Frank Mitchell of the New Democrats served here from 1979-86. He had also briefly held office in the old Esquimalt riding in the early 1950s, and was succeeded by the Social Credit's Herb Bruch (1953-72).
In 2001, voter turnout in Esquimalt-Metchosin was 69.5 per cent – just under the provincial average.
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