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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1425269
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 BCBUSINESS 21 ISTOCK SOURCES: BC INVESTMENT AGRICULTURE FOUNDATION, STATISTICS CANADA, BC FARM INDUSTRY REVIEW BOARD, GOVERNMENT OF B.C., AGASSIZ HARRISON OBSERVER, WEST COAST ROBOTICS, AGRICULTURE CANADA, WINEBC, THE WESTERN PRODUCER, CUBICFARM SYSTEMS, DAIRY FARMERS OF CANADA GREENS GROUNDED With 12.4 percent, B.C. had the third-highest proportion of Green Party voters in 2019, trailing only New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The 2021 share was still higher than the national average but plunged to 5.3 percent (second to PEI). The Greens also lost one of their two seats in the province, only keeping former leader Elizabeth May's ironclad safe riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands. You have to wonder how that affects the BC Greens and Leader Sonia Furst- enau's chances. FOR THE PEOPLE? Though they didn't win a seat across the country, the People's Party of Canada managed to almost triple its vote share in B.C.–from 1.7 percent to 4.9 percent. In one Vancouver rid- ing, a PPC candidate compared vac- cine passports to residential schools, so that increase is, um, scary? CONSERVE THE VOTE Once again, the Conservatives led the way in B.C., garnering 33.2 percent of total ballots, roughly one point less than in 2019. The result? Just 13 seats versus the Liberals' 15. Still, don't mention proportional representation to any Tory you know. NO DIPPING Meanwhile, the NDP and Leader/ local MP Jagmeet Singh saw a strong show of support, increasing their B.C. vote share from 24.4 percent to 29.2 percent and grabbing 13 seats–two more than in 2019. For total votes, the party finished second in the province to the Conservatives. THE TERMINATOR The candidate with the most votes in B.C. was Conservative MP Mel Arnold, who took North Okanagan-Shuswap for the third election in a row, this time earning 33,626 ballots. NOT CAST AWAY Liberal Wilson Miao won with the smallest number of votes, gathering 13,440 in Richmond Centre to narrowly unseat incumbent Conservative Alice Wong. • M AT R I X VOTING LESSONS The 2021 federal election was the remake of 2019 that no one asked for. But its rubble still yields a few takeaways for B.C. by Nathan Caddell G O F I G U R E B.C. MILK PRODUCTION BY REGION Numbers do not total 100 due to rounding B.C.'s 25 artisan cheesemakers produce 96 individual types of cheese, including Chabichou, Amsterdammer, Island Bries, Tipsy Jill and Goatgonzola The province yielded 14,225 tonnes of specialty cheese last year, g 43% from 2019 Canadian retail sales of butter surged 12.4% in 2020, partly driven by lockdown-restricted people taking up baking 12 HydroGreen "vertical pasture" modules from Langley-based CubicFarm Systems can grow enough dairy cow feed rations to replace 500 acres of farmland Requires 90% less water than pasture-grown feed $330,000,000 Annual losses the Dairy Council of Canada estimates the industry will face in reduced market share after the new Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement came into force last year 77% FRASER VALLEY 5.2% OTHER 6% VANCOUVER ISLAND 13% OKANAGAN