Ron McKinnon wins in Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam, edges Iain Black by nearly 2,000 votes

Liberal Ron McKinnon is set to hold onto the closely contested Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam riding.

With nearly 99 percent of all votes counted, support for McKinnon stood at 46.9 percent. That total put the incumbent 3.6 percent – 1,937 votes – ahead of Conservative challenger Iain Black.

In line with the national trend, support for the NDP plummeted in the riding. Former Port Coquitlam city councillor Laura Dupont captured 7.5 percent of the vote – a drop of nearly 20 percent from 2021.

Libertarian candidate Lewis Dahlby garnered 1.4 percent of the vote.

Green Party candidate Michael Glenister notched 0.9 percent of the vote.

A longtime incumbent, McKinnon spearheaded the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act. The bill is meant to save lives by giving legal protections to people who call first responders following an overdose. Those protections can mean the caller wouldn’t face charges for possession of a controlled substance.

McKinnon was also a supporter of the court challenges program, which is meant to offer financial backing for Canadians who need to go to court for an issue relating to human rights, language rights or equality.

McKinnon pushed for the program to be enshrined in law.

In addressing the housing crisis, McKinnon previously touted a tax-free savings account for first-time homebuyers.

He also supported $10-a-day childcare as both an economic plan and a transformative idea for families, “and for women in particular. It will allow them to advance their skills, to go back in the workforce and this will supercharge our economy.”