The name "Vancouver Kingsway" has been used twice to describe federal ridings. It was first created in 1952, carved out of
Vancouver South riding. In 1987, the riding was divided between
Burnaby—Kingsway,
Vancouver East,
Vancouver Quadra and
Vancouver South ridings. In 1996, a new Vancouver Kingsway was created out of these same four ridings. This riding has been held by the NDP and its precursor CCF for most of its history. The NDP (along with the CCF) has won 15 of the 21 elections held since the riding was formed in 1953, the Liberals have won five, and the Conservatives, one. The two candidates who topped the poll in the 2008 election ran again in 2011. The incumbent member of Parliament, Vancouver lawyer Don Davies, represented the NDP, and Vancouver businesswoman Wendy Yuan represented the Liberal Party again. Davies won by approximately 3,000 votes in 2008. In 2011, Davies quintupled that margin, topping the Liberal candidate by over 15,000 votes, the Conservative candidate by over 10,000 votes, and winning over 50 percent of the votes cast. The
2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution concluded that the electoral boundaries of Vancouver Kingsway should be adjusted, and a modified electoral district of the same name was created. The redefined Vancouver Kingsway lost its territory west of
Main Street to the new district of
Vancouver Granville, as well as a small area in its extreme southeast to
Vancouver South. These new boundaries were legally defined in the 2013 representation order, which came into effect upon the call of the
2015 election.
Historical boundaries David Emerson controversy David Emerson was first elected in
2004, for the
Liberal Party of Canada, and served in the
Cabinet led by
Prime Minister Paul Martin as the
Minister of Industry. Emerson was re-elected as a Liberal in the
2006 election, but
crossed the floor two weeks later on February 6, 2006, to become the new
Minister of International Trade in
Stephen Harper's
Conservative government. Emerson's floor-crossing was highly controversial. Then Prime Minister-designate Stephen Harper dispatched campaign co-chair
John Douglas Reynolds, on the day after the election, to offer Emerson a cabinet post in a Conservative government. Emerson's acceptance of that offer made Canadian history, marking the first time a member of parliament, let alone a cabinet minister, had crossed the floor before a new government was even sworn in. As a result of the controversy, a number of groups formed to fight for Emerson's resignation. Some groups also seek legislation that would prevent floor crossing altogether or restrict a member of parliament if they abandon their party's caucus. Groups that fought against Emerson's defection included the Recall David Emerson campaign, which was aligned with the
New Democratic Party, and the De-Elect Emerson campaign, which began under Liberal alignment but which eventually outgrew the influence of that party and became entirely citizen-powered. Emerson chose not to seek
re-election in 2008. ==Members of Parliament==