Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam

Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam was a federal electoral district in the eastern suburbs of Metro Vancouver, encompassing the Tri-Cities communities at the head of Burrard Inlet. The riding included the city of Port Coquitlam, the villages of Anmore and Belcarra, Douglas and Boulder Islands, and the northern portion of Port Moody, bordered by Indian Arm to the west and Pitt Lake to the east. With a 2006 population of approximately 116,000, the riding was a rapidly growing suburban area popular with young families and commuters working in downtown Vancouver.

Candidates

James Moore (Conservative)* — Born on June 10, 1976, Moore was first elected to Parliament in 2000 at the age of twenty-four, making him the youngest MP ever elected from British Columbia. He held a Bachelor of Arts degree and had served in multiple cabinet roles under Prime Minister Harper, including Secretary of State for the Asia-Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics, and Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages from 2008 onward. At the time of the 2011 election, Moore was one of the most prominent Conservative voices in British Columbia and was later appointed Minister of Industry in 2013. He won re-election in 2011 with a commanding margin of approximately 26 percentage points over his nearest rival.

Mark Ireland (NDP) — Ireland was the NDP candidate in the riding. He participated in candidate forums during the 2011 campaign, challenging Moore on issues including social policy and government accountability. Ireland finished second in the election.

Stewart McGillivray (Liberal) — McGillivray was a University of British Columbia student and president of the UBC Young Liberals at the time of the 2011 campaign. He was bilingual in English and French and brought youthful energy to the Liberal campaign in a riding where the party had been losing ground. McGillivray finished third.

Kevin Kim (Green Party) — Kim ran as the Green Party candidate in the riding, advocating for environmental sustainability and transit investment in the Tri-Cities.

Paul Geddes (Libertarian) — Geddes represented the Libertarian Party, campaigning on reduced government intervention and lower taxes.

About the Riding

Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam occupied a scenic corridor of Metro Vancouver's eastern suburbs, where mountain-ringed communities met the tidal waters of Burrard Inlet. The riding was part of the Tri-Cities, an informal grouping of Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, and Coquitlam, along with the smaller villages of Anmore and Belcarra. By 2011, the area was experiencing significant residential development, with new condominium and townhouse projects transforming formerly industrial waterfront lands in Port Moody and expanding suburban neighborhoods in Port Coquitlam.

The riding's demographics reflected its suburban character. According to the 2006 census, about 63 percent of residents spoke English as their mother tongue, with significant Chinese, Korean, and South Asian communities. The visible minority population accounted for roughly 35 percent of residents. Many households were dual-income families with children, commuting to jobs in Burnaby, Vancouver, or other parts of the Lower Mainland. The planned Evergreen Extension of SkyTrain rapid transit, which was in advanced planning during this period with construction beginning in 2012, was a major local issue, promising to connect Port Moody and Coquitlam to the regional transit network.

James Moore had represented the area since 2000 and was one of the highest-profile Conservative MPs in British Columbia. His cabinet roles gave the riding direct access to senior government, and his personal popularity in the community contributed to consistently strong margins of victory. Moore's 2011 campaign emphasized the Conservative government's economic management during the recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, infrastructure investment in the Tri-Cities, and his role championing the successful 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The NDP and Liberal campaigns struggled to gain traction against a well-known incumbent in a riding where the Conservative vote was entrenched among homeowners concerned about taxes, property values, and public safety. The riding was dissolved in the 2012 redistribution and replaced by Port Moody—Coquitlam and Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam for the 2015 election, with Moore choosing not to seek re-election that year.