2005 Candidates (as received from Elections B.C.):
- Raven Bowen, Green Party of BC
- Mike Hansen, Independent
- Jenny Kwan, New Democratic Party of B.C.
- Kirk Anton Moses, The Platinum Party
- Niki Westman, Work Less Party
Districts Profile:
This riding, just east of downtown Vancouver, borders Burrard Inlet to the north, Commercial and Victoria drives to the east, Victoria drives to the east, Kingsway and 16th Avenue East to the south, and, in part, Main Street to the west. Chinatown, Strathcona and Mount Pleasant are here, along with the Via Rail terminal and industries along the waterfront. The riding includes cheap skid-row rooms in the Downtown Eastside, a residential district of bungalows on small lots, and scattered strips of low-rise apartments and condos. Manufacturing, along with accommodation and food services, are the main employers. At $42,874, the riding has by far the province's lowest average family income, along with unemployment that's B.C.'s sixth-highest, at 14 per cent. As well, 15.7 per cent of residents have less than a Grade 9 education – the province's fourth-highest rate. Immigrants account for 45 per cent of the population. Nearly 35 per cent of residents are ethnic Chinese, while 8.6 per cent are Filipino, 6.6 per cent are Vietnamese, and 5.7 per cent are aboriginal people.
Political History:
The incumbent in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant is New Democrat Jenny Wai Ching Kwan. In 2001 Kwan was one of only two NDP MLAs to survive the Liberal landslide, and the only one to win by a comfortable margin: about 1,800 votes over runner-up Gail Sparrow of the Liberals. Kwan was first elected here in 1996, beating Liberal Anne Beer by nearly 7,000 votes. Before that, this was the riding of former premier Mike Harcourt of the NDP. In 1991 he won here with a 6,971-vote defeat of Liberal Todd Gnissios. Prior to 1991, this area was part of the old Vancouver Centre riding. MLAs there included Socreds Herb Capozzi and Evan Wolfe (both 1966-72) and New Democrats Gary Lauk (1972-86), Emery Barnes (1972-91) and Mike Harcourt (1986-91).
In 2001, the voter turnout in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant was 59.4 per cent – the second lowest in the province.
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