Nanaimo—Alberni

Nanaimo—Alberni stretched along the central portion of Vancouver Island’s east coast and across to the west coast, encompassing the northern part of Nanaimo, the communities of Lantzville, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, and Port Alberni, as well as Lasqueti Island. The riding linked the Strait of Georgia shoreline with the rugged Pacific coast through the mountainous interior of the island, taking in cathedral groves of old-growth forest and the gateway to Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. It had the highest median age of any federal riding in Canada at 50.1 years.

Candidates

James Lunney (Conservative)* — Lunney was born in Winnipeg on September 5, 1951, and earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Manitoba in 1972 before completing his Doctor of Chiropractic degree at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto in 1976. He practised chiropractic on Vancouver Island for over two decades before entering politics. First elected as a Canadian Alliance candidate in 2000, he won re-election under the Conservative banner in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011, capturing approximately 46 percent of the vote in 2011. He later resigned from the Conservative caucus in 2015 to sit as an Independent.

Zenaida Maartman (NDP) — Maartman, known locally as Zeni, was a lifelong resident of the Nanaimo area and a Chartered Insurance Professional who had worked in the insurance industry since 1989, most recently in management at BCAA. She served as past president of Tourism Nanaimo, sat on the Nanaimo Economic Development Group, and was active on city committees. She had also run against Lunney as the NDP candidate in the 2008 federal election, finishing second both times. She later served on Nanaimo City Council.

Renée Amber Miller (Liberal) — Miller was the Liberal candidate in 2011, running on a platform centred on social justice, education, and the arts. She received approximately 4,984 votes in the riding.

Myron Jespersen (Green Party) — Jespersen was a Port Alberni resident who ran as the Green Party candidate and also sought a seat on Port Alberni City Council in the 2011 municipal elections.

Jesse Schroeder (Pirate Party) — Schroeder ran for the Pirate Party of Canada, one of the party’s ten candidates nationally in 2011.

Frank Wagner (CHP) — Wagner represented the Christian Heritage Party in Nanaimo—Alberni.

Barbara Biley (Marxist-Leninist) — Biley ran for the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada.

About the Riding

Nanaimo—Alberni was defined by the geography and economy of central Vancouver Island. The eastern communities of Parksville and Qualicum Beach were popular retirement destinations known for their mild climate and sandy beaches, contributing to the riding’s exceptionally high median age. Port Alberni, on the west coast inlet, was historically a forestry and fishing town that had endured significant economic restructuring as sawmills closed and the commercial fishing industry contracted through the 1990s and 2000s.

The riding’s economy was anchored by forestry, fishing, tourism, and the service sector. The Catalyst Paper mill in Port Alberni and the Harmac pulp mill near Nanaimo were major industrial employers, though both faced uncertainty amid declining demand for newsprint and pulp products. Tourism was an increasingly important sector, with visitors drawn to Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Cathedral Grove, and the beaches of Parksville and Qualicum. The retail and health care sectors were significant employers in the Nanaimo portion of the riding, reflecting the city’s role as a regional service centre for central Vancouver Island.

Demographically, the riding was overwhelmingly anglophone with a significant retiree population. First Nations communities, including the Hupacasath and Tseshaht Nations near Port Alberni and the Snuneymuxw Nation near Nanaimo, were an important part of the region’s cultural fabric. Median household incomes were below the provincial average, and the riding faced persistent challenges with youth out-migration, affordable housing in the resort communities, and economic diversification away from resource extraction.

Politically, Lunney had held the riding since 2000, building a personal vote that transcended the typical Conservative base. His chiropractic background and social conservative views appealed to the riding’s older, more traditional electorate, while the NDP drew support from the resource-worker communities in Port Alberni and the union workforce. The 2011 election saw Lunney win comfortably with an eight-point margin over Maartman, maintaining the Conservative grip on a riding that had voted right-of-centre since the Reform Party era.