Tamara Kronis was elected in the Vancouver Island riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith. (photo from rossmcbride.com)
Conservative candidate Tamara Kronis was elected in the Vancouver Island riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith, making her one of a small number of Jewish members of the new Parliament following the April 28 federal election.
With just over 35% of the vote on her second try for the riding, Kronis defeated second-place Liberal Michelle Corfield by about 5,500 votes. Incumbent New Democrat Lisa Marie Barron came third, ahead of Green party candidate and former MP Paul Manly, who Barron defeated in 2021. It was a rare – possibly unique – four-way rematch.
The Kronis campaign did not make the candidate available to the Independent during the campaign, saying she was focused on local voters and, by press time for this issue, had not responded to a request for an interview.
In Richmond East-Steveston, community member and Conservative candidate Zach Segal lost narrowly to Liberal incumbent Parm Bains.
In Vancouver Centre, the high profile of New Democrat Avi Lewis did not translate into victory as he took less than 13% of the votes while Liberal Hedy Fry won her 11th consecutive victory in the downtown riding.
In Vancouver Quadra, a district with a comparatively sizeable Jewish community, Liberal Wade Grant swept into office with 63% of the vote over second-place Conservative Ken Charko.
Across the country, several Jewish incumbents were returned to office. In Manitoba, Liberal Ben Carr, in Winnipeg South Centre, took more than 63% of votes cast there.
New Democrat Leah Gazan, in Winnipeg Centre, won with about 40% of the vote, holding her party’s only remaining seat in the province – and one of only seven ridings for the NDP in the country. The Canadian Jewish News reports that Gazan is the daughter of a Dutch Holocaust survivor and a Chinese and Indigenous mother.
Also in Manitoba, Conservative incumbent Marty Morantz, who spoke out about antisemitism on the campaign, lost his bid for reelection in Winnipeg West.
In Ontario, the Conservative party’s deputy leader Melissa Lantsman swept the riding of Thornhill with 66% of the votes.
Anthony Housefather, the incumbent Liberal MP for the Quebec riding of Mount Royal, who had publicly considered abandoning the party over the government’s position toward Israel, won just over half the votes in the traditional Liberal stronghold after a concerted effort by the Conservatives to topple him.