With 212 of 213 polls reporting in Chilliwack-Hope, incumbent Conservative Mark Strahl had a solid lead with 46.4 per cent of votes cast and is the winner.
Strahl garnered 22,218 votes, compared to upstart NDP candidate DJ Pohl’s 12,640 (26.4 per cent), by 1 a.m. on Sept. 21, a clear indication of a mandate for a fourth term.
Strahl put out a brief message on his Facebook page at just before 10 p.m.
“Thank you to the good people of Chilliwack-Hope for your continued support,” Strahl said. “I’m honoured to serve you.”
Later he added in a statement: “I would also like to thank the other candidates in Chilliwack-Hope for putting their names and their ideas forward.”
He described the 2021 campaign as one of the most “divisive in recent memory,” vowing to take the “common sense of the people” back to Ottawa with him.
“While the national results are disappointing for Conservatives, I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to serve as a strong, principled voice for Chilliwack-Hope in Ottawa as a member of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.”
“Our country is not yet out of the greatest crisis we’ve experienced in decades,” Strahl said about the pandemic. “The economy is shaky and the cost of living is spiralling out of control. The country is wracked by uncertainty and anxiety. People are hurting and many are afraid of being left behind.
“We cannot allow our country to slip into an ‘us-versus-them’ society and we must find a way to come together after the most divisive campaign in recent memory,” Strahl concluded. “The people of Chilliwack-Hope are hardworking, honourable people. I will never forget where I come from and who I work for as I take the common sense of the common people to the House of Commons.”
By the early hours of Sept. 21, Liberal candidate Kelly Velonis had 16.6 per cent, PPC candidate Rob Bogunovic had 8 per cent, with Green Party’s Art Green at 2.7 per cent, pending final results.
Contingent upon the final count of mail-in ballots, Strahl has won his fourth straight election in a decade in the riding of Chilliwack-Hope.
Before winning Chilliwack-Hope for the last three elections, Strahl won the previous riding of Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon in 2011.
Before that, his father Chuck Strahl won six straight elections in the riding that includes Chilliwack dating back to 1993.
This map is interactive and live to see the results:
READ MORE: Canada Election 2021
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