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Government and Politics |
Vancouver is governed by the ten-member Vancouver City Council, a nine-member School Board, and a seven-member Parks Board, all elected for three-year terms through an at-large system.
Historically, in all levels of government, the more affluent west side of Vancouver has voted along conservative or centre-right lines while the working-class eastern side of the city has voted along left-wing lines. This was reaffirmed with the results of the 2005 provincial election.
Though polarized, a political consensus has emerged in Vancouver around a number of issues. Protection of urban parks, a focus on the development of rapid transit as opposed to a freeway system, a harm reduction approach to illegal drug use and a general concern about community based development are examples of policies that have come to have broad support across the political spectrum in Vancouver.
In the Canadian House of Commons, Vancouver has five constituencies: in the 2004 federal elections, the Liberal Party of Canada won four seats, while the New Democratic Party won one. In the 2006 federal elections, all the same MPs were re-elected. However, on February 6, 2006, David Emerson of Vancouver-Kingsway defected to the Conservative Party, giving the Conservatives one seat in the city of Vancouver. As of February 2006, the Liberals hold three seats, and the NDP and the Conservatives hold one each.
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