The Political RecordFederal electoral districtsNo. 59029British Columbia

Saanich—Gulf Islands

Saanich—Gulf Islands is a federal riding in British Columbia. Elizabeth May (Green, first elected to the House in 2011) represents Saanich—Gulf Islands. Elizabeth May (Green) held Saanich—Gulf Islands for the Greens in the 2025 election by 5,790 votes (7.3 points), with 39.1% of the vote. David Beckham (Liberal) was second with 31.8%, on a turnout of 77.9% of 102,890 electors. Member as of 2026-11-01.

Fig. 1 — Saanich—Gulf Islands on the board, 2023 boundaries; the ridings next door as the House holds them on 2026-11-01. Open it on the board →

Who represents Saanich—Gulf Islands

Elizabeth May's piece from the board. Illustration after the official portrait © House of Commons.

Elizabeth May

Member of Parliament for Saanich—Gulf Islands

Green

MP since 2011-05-02 · 5 terms

714 speeches in the 45th Parliament, most often on Building Canada Strong Act.

Contact and office · House of Commons →

The 2025 result: Green hold

Share of the valid votes by candidate, Saanich—Gulf Islands, April 28, 2025

Shares of the 79,786 valid votes; a candidate under 1% is counted with the others. Source: Elections Canada, official voting results, the 2025 general election.

The figures

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share
Elizabeth May	Green	31,199	39.1%
David Beckham	Liberal	25,409	31.8%
Cathie Ounsted	Conservative	20,015	25.1%
Colin Plant	New Democratic	3,163	4.0%

Elizabeth May (Green) won Saanich—Gulf Islands on April 28, 2025 with 31,199 votes, 39.1% of the 79,786 valid votes. David Beckham (Liberal) was second with 25,409 (31.8%), 5,790 votes and 7.3 points behind.

Of the 79,786 valid votes, Elizabeth May (Green) took 39.1%, David Beckham (Liberal) 31.8%, Cathie Ounsted (Conservative) 25.1% and Colin Plant (New Democratic) 4.0%. Turnout was 77.9% of 102,890 electors: 80,122 ballots cast, 79,786 of them valid, for 4 candidates.

Since 2021

Against the 2021 result on these boundaries, the Greens are up 3.5 (35.6% to 39.1%), the Liberals up 13.1 (18.7% to 31.8%), the Conservatives up 2.6 (22.5% to 25.1%) and the New Democrats down 15.4 (19.4% to 4.0%), in points of the valid votes.

2021 is Elections Canada's transposition of that election onto the 2023 boundaries, not an election held on these lines.

Since 2004: no party has held it

The party first in Saanich—Gulf Islands at each general election, 2004 to 2025, on today's boundaries

2004Conservative34.1%by 7.0 points over the Liberals
2006Conservative36.7%by 10.0 points over the New Democrats
2008Conservative43.0%by 3.9 points over the Liberals
2011changed handsGreen44.7%by 8.9 points over the Conservatives
2015Green52.0%by 32.7 points over the Conservatives
2019Green47.5%by 27.4 points over the Conservatives
2021Green35.6%by 13.0 points over the Conservatives
2025Green39.1%by 7.3 points over the Liberals

Each election carried onto today's boundaries by where the riding's 2025 electors lived: our estimate to 2019, Elections Canada's transposition for 2021, the official result for 2025. Parties are counted as they ran.

The figures

Year	First	Share	Second	Margin (pts)	Basis
2004	Conservative	34.1%	Liberal	7.0	carried, our estimate
2006	Conservative	36.7%	New Democratic	10.0	carried, our estimate
2008	Conservative	43.0%	Liberal	3.9	carried, our estimate
2011	Green	44.7%	Conservative	8.9	carried, our estimate
2015	Green	52.0%	Conservative	32.7	carried, our estimate
2019	Green	47.5%	Conservative	27.4	carried, our estimate
2021	Green	35.6%	Conservative	13.0	transposed by Elections Canada
2025	Green	39.1%	Liberal	7.3	official result

The Greens were first at five of the eight general elections from 2004 to 2025, the Conservatives at three; it changed hands once. In 2025 the Greens took 39.1% of the vote here, 8.2 points above their average of 30.9% at the seven general elections from 2004 to 2021.

On today's boundaries the Conservatives were first here in 2004 (34.1%), 2006 (36.7%) and 2008 (43.0%) and the Greens in 2011 (44.7%), 2015 (52.0%), 2019 (47.5%), 2021 (35.6%) and 2025 (39.1%), each with the share of the valid votes shown.

A stronghold is a party first at every general election since 2004, by an average of 20 points or more over the next party; held, first at every one; usually, first at all but one. By-elections are not counted. By this rule 160 of the 343 ridings have no degree. The results before 2021 are carried onto today's boundaries by where the riding's 2025 electors lived: our estimate, from the older boundaries of Taylor, Lucas, Kirby and Hewitt and the results in Sevi's "Who Runs?". 2021 is Elections Canada's transposition, and 2025 the official result.

Before 2025

2021 Green · Elizabeth May, by 9,873 votes (15.1 pts)
2019 Green · Elizabeth May, by 19,670 votes (28.9 pts)
2015 Green · Elizabeth May, by 23,810 votes (34.9 pts)

In the old Saanich—Gulf Islands on the 2013 boundaries, the riding most of the 2025 electors in today's Saanich—Gulf Islands lived in; Elections Canada's official results.

What kind of place Saanich—Gulf Islands is

Population: 122,1502021 census
Area: 1,577km²
Density: 77people per km²
Electors: 102,890on the 2025 lists

Distinctions · ranked against all 343 ridings

6th-highest turnout in Canada
77.9% of 102,890 electors voted · 6th of 343

Median age is 52.4 — about 1.3 times the median riding's 41.6.
highestlowest12th highest of 343
Share of households that own their home is 77.7% — a little higher than the median riding's 71.4%.
highestlowest86th highest of 343
Share aged 25-64 with a bachelor's degree or higher is 41.2% — about 1.5 times the median riding's 28.2%.
highestlowest90th highest of 343
Median total household income is $93,000 — a little higher than the median riding's $84,000.
highestlowest97th highest of 343
Share with French as a mother tongue is 1.2% — about 75 percent of the median riding's 1.6%.
highestlowest126th lowest of 343
Share who are immigrants is 21.8% — about 1.3 times the median riding's 17.3%.
highestlowest147th highest of 343

2021 Census on the 2023 boundaries; each rule places this riding among all 343. Density is the census population over the riding's area.

IDid this riding change?

Yes. 93% of the 2025 electors in today's Saanich—Gulf Islands lived in the old Saanich—Gulf Islands; by area, 1% of the riding came from other ridings.

Share of today's electorsFormer riding

93.1%Saanich—Gulf Islands 98.8% of the area

6.9%Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke 1.2% of the area · 2% of it kept

How this is measured. Electors: the share of the current riding's 2025 ordinary-list electors who lived in each former riding, each 2025 polling division placed in the 2013 riding a point inside it falls in. Area: the share of the current riding's area that came from each former riding, by intersecting the 2013 and 2023 boundary files, and how much of the former riding that part was. Area is land, not population. Elections Canada counts 48 of 343 ridings as entirely unchanged.

IIThe 2025 result

Candidate	Party	Votes	%	2021	±
Elizabeth May	Green	31,199	39.1%	35.6%	+3.5
David Beckham	Liberal	25,409	31.8%	18.7%	+13.1
Cathie Ounsted	Conservative	20,015	25.1%	22.5%	+2.6
Colin Plant	New Democratic	3,163	4.0%	19.4%	−15.4

The 2021 column is Elections Canada's official transposition of the 2021 result onto these 2023 boundaries. ± is the change in each party's share. It is not "swing": with four or more competitive parties there is no single pair to swing between.

IIIHow close was it, really

Third place vs. the margin

20,015 votes

Conservative took more than the 5,790-vote margin. True in 100 of 343 ridings in 2025.

Election-day polls won by others

64 of 222

5 polls ended in an exact tie.

Fig. 2 — Each square is one election-day poll: ■ won by the Greens (153) · ■ won by another party (64) · ▨ tied (5).

Flip the seatHypothetical

It would have taken 2,896 voters switching from Green to Liberal — 3.6% of the 79,786 valid votes, 3.6 points — to change the result. No ballot was cast this way; this only moves votes between the top two.

Voters who switch: 005,792

Green31,199

Liberal25,409

Still Green by 5,790 votes. Actual margin: 5,790.

IVElection day versus advance

Only 43.9% of this riding's votes were cast at election-day polls. The rest were advance or special ballots.

On election day the Greens took 40.0%, the Liberals 27.7%, the Conservatives 27.3% and the New Democrats 4.9%; in advance and special ballots, 38.4%, 35.1%, 23.3% and 3.2%, in that order.

Share of the valid votes by party, election-day polls against advance and special ballots, Saanich—Gulf Islands, April 28, 2025

Shares of the valid votes cast at election-day polls, and of those cast at advance polls, at mobile polls and by special ballot; the gap is the second less the first, in points. Source: Elections Canada, poll-by-poll results, the 2025 general election.

The figures

Party	Election day	Advance and special	Gap
Green	40.0%	38.4%	−1.6
Liberal	27.7%	35.1%	+7.4
Conservative	27.3%	23.3%	−4.0
New Democratic	4.9%	3.2%	−1.7

An association, not a cause. Voters who cast ballots before election day differed from those who turned out on the day. It does not say why. There is no poll-level turnout figure on this page: the elector count on a polling division includes people who voted in advance and were counted elsewhere.

VWhere it is

loading basemap…

Fig. 3 — Saanich—Gulf Islands and its 5 neighbouring ridings.

Sources and citation

"Saanich—Gulf Islands — federal riding profile and 2025 results."
The Political Record. https://politicalrecord.ca/riding/saanich-gulf-islands/
Accessed 2026-11-10.

Results and transposition: Elections Canada. Boundaries: Elections Canada / Statistics Canada, Open Government Licence – Canada. Census: Statistics Canada 2021 Census. Member: House of Commons.

Figures reconcile to the certified national total of 19,641,663 votes. The member is as the House of Commons listed them on 2026-11-01. Page built 2026-11-10.