The Candidates
Kate Young – Liberal Party of Canada
Kate Young is the incumbent MP for London West, winning the riding in her first time running in the 2015 Federal Election. She gained 45.8 percent of the vote – 10 points higher than Conservative candidate and now Mayor of London, Ed Holder. Young has held a couple of positions in Ottawa during her tenure. She started as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport in 2015. In 2017, the cabinet reshuffled, and Young was appointed a parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Science and Sport, then was also named a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility in 2018. Young used to be an anchor for CFPL-TV for over 20 years and is been recognized in the community for her volunteer contributions.
Liz Snelgrove – Conservative Party of Canada
Liz Snelgrove brings a wealth of knowledge in the health care sector to her platform for London West. She was born in raised in the area and has also started and raised a family in London. She attended Western University, obtaining a degree in political science, then an executive MBA from the Ivey Business School in 2009. Snelgrove worked for over two decades as an executive in the health care sector. Her most recent position was the Executive Director of a multi-disciplinary medical facility and seniors’ retirement home. Snelgrove is running for MP for the first time, with this election also being her first dip into politics.
The boundaries for the London West riding.
Courtesy: elections.ca
Shawna Lewkowitz – New Democrat Party
A teacher at King’s University College turned politician, Shawna Lewkowitz is taking a crack at the London West riding on behalf of the NDP. She has spent two decades working to improve health care, diversity and women’s’ involvement in politics. Lewkowtiz grew up in London and returned to start a family. She has also been involved in local politics, serving on advisory committees to increase diversity in the City of London.
Mary Ann Hodge – Green Party
Making the next step from municipal politics, Mary Ann Hodge is taking her environmentally-conscious platform to London West. Hodge served for four years on London’s Environmental Advisory Committee and was instrumental in City Council declaring a climate emergency. She held a similar role in Toronto, moving back to London after her husband’s death. Hodge is an occasional French-emersion teacher for the Thames Valley District School Board, earning her teaching certificate when she came back to the area.
Mike McMullen – People’s Party of Canada
Mike McMullen is bringing his decades of corporate experience to the political world as the PPC candidate for London West. He served in the Canadian Armed Forces for a decade, finishing with a rank of Master Corporal. He has worked as an advisor for multinational companies in the information technology field. McMullen has been involved in property management and technical stock trading, familiarizing himself with the government’s role in those areas.
The Political Barometer
The London West riding represents over 91,000 people consisting of a mixed bag of immigrants, suburbanites, farmers and everyone in between. Since its creation in the 1960s, London-West has served as an accurate barometer for Canada’s political leanings.
The riding originated in 1966 to represent Middlesex East and Middlesex West. Its boundaries stretch north to Fanshawe Park Road, and south to Southdale Road. Laterally, its jurisdiction ends west of Wonderland Road until it meets the Thames River and west beyond Byron.
The history of the London West riding’s representation has a strong correlation with who ends up in Parliament. In the 14 elections that the riding has been involved in, their elected MP represented the party in power in all but two of them.
Election projections as of October 20th, 2019. London West (left, in pink) is leaning Liberal.
Courtesy: 338canada.com
The only outliers were in the 31st election in 1979, and the 39th election in 2006. In 1979, London West was Liberal but Joe Clark led the Progressive Conservatives over Pierre Trudeau’s Liberals. In 2006, Sue Barnes was elected for her fifth and final term as the Liberal London West MP, but Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party won a minority government. Aside from the 31st and 39th elections, whichever party represents London-West has also been the party elected into parliament.
As of October 20th, the Liberals are projected to get 37 percent of the vote. That’s six points more than the Conservatives with a seven-point margin of error. The NDP could also get up to a quarter of the votes.
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