Majumdar won over 65% of the vote, nearly 8 points above what the CPC received in 2021.
Conservative candidate Shuv Majumdar emerged victorious in the Calgary-Heritage by-election, in a strong statement win for the Conservative Party.
The overall result in the riding – a slightly-adjusted version of the Calgary Southwest riding once represented by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper – was never in doubt, with the Conservatives widely expected to hold it following the retirement of MP Bob Benzen. However, many were looking to see the overall percentage for the CPC and the margin of victory. Some were also looking to see if the PPC would make any gains in a Conservative riding, or whether they would see a decline following Maxime Bernier’s decisive defeat in Portage-Lisgar in June.
With all of that being considered, the final result is something the Conservative Party will be quite happy about.
Majumdar won 65.5% of the vote, a significant increase from the 57.66% won by the CPC in 2021. This represents a strong endorsement of Pierre Poilievre’s leadership, as he is not only holding – but also expanding – CPC support.
Majumdar’s raw vote total also dramatically exceeded the 2nd and 3rd place Liberals & NDP respectively. Majumdar won 15,803 votes, while the Liberals won 3,463 and the NDP won 3,425.
The PPC had another rough night, winning 649 votes to finish at just 2.7%. In 2021, the PPC won 5.01% in the riding, so their by-election result represents a significant decline. The inability of the PPC to score any strong results in recent by-elections, combined with Maxime Bernier’s very poor showing in Portage-Lisgar, continues to raise questions about the viability of the PPC.
A principled MP
Aside from the strong political showing by the Conservatives, Shuv Majumdar’s election is good news for Canada as a whole. Majumdar – the former head of the foreign policy and national security program at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute – is widely respected for his deep understanding of geopolitical issues and for his principled stance in support of Canadian values like freedom and democracy, alongside the recognition that Canada must be willing to defend those values alongside our allies.
At a time when authoritarian states are becoming increasingly aggressive – both in their attempts to expand their borders at the expense of their neighbours and their attempts to interfere with our democratic institutions – Canada is in desperate need of MPs who have the knowledge base necessary to help strengthen and protect our nation. That’s exactly what Shuv Majumdar brings to the House of Commons, and that is something all Canadians stand to benefit from.
So, at a time when many of the political news stories in Canada are decidedly negative – and for good reason given the problems our country is facing – Shuv Majumdar’s victory is a rare good news story.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
