Photo: Keefer4~commonswiki · CC BY-SA 2.5Saanich is split between 3 federal ridings, chiefly Saanich—Gulf Islands and Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke
In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Saanich is shared by 3 ridings (Saanich South, Oak Bay-Gordon Head and Victoria-Swan Lake). The 2024 result is the most recent open record of its MLA; changes since then aren’t in it. 50% of Saanich residents have Elizabeth May as their MP; most of the rest have Stephanie McLean. For local government, Saanich is a district municipality. This page names no head of council for Saanich, as no open list of councils exists in British Columbia.
Three governments, and who does what
Saanich, a district municipality in British Columbia, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Regional parks, waste, rural areas’ services.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
leg.bc.ca ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
Beyond its own council, Saanich has a seat on the board of Capital Regional District.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Saanich, from the most recent elections.
- 1Saanich councilDistrict municipality
- 2Legislative Assembly of British ColumbiaSaanich South · Oak Bay-Gordon Head · Victoria-Swan Lake
- 3House of CommonsSaanich—Gulf Islands · 50%
- 4House of CommonsEsquimalt—Saanich—Sooke · 39%
- 5House of CommonsVictoria · 12%
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada
When Saanich votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Saanich council | 17 October 2026 | 19 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of British Columbia | 19 October 2024 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Voters last chose Saanich council on 17 October 2026 and will again on 19 October 2030. That date comes from the Local Government Act, which sets the third Saturday in October every four years. The last general elections came on 19 October 2024 for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and on 28 April 2025 for Parliament. This page stops at the 2021 vote: elections.ca keeps the 2025 counts under non-commercial terms.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Saanich spans 3 ridings for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MLA.
MLA: see the legislature’s list
leg.bc.ca ↗MLA: see the legislature’s list
leg.bc.ca ↗MLA: see the legislature’s list
leg.bc.ca ↗Which MLA in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia represents a home in Saanich depends on the street.
BC ridings: Elections BC 2023 electoral districts (Elections BC Open Data Licence)
The 2024 provincial election in Saanich South
Lana Popham (BC NDP) took Saanich South in October 2024 with 50% of the vote, 5,335 votes clear of the runner-up (Conservative Party of BC). At 68%, turnout beat the province’s 58%.
BC 2024 results: Elections BC, Provincial Voting Results and Registered Voter Counts (Elections BC Open Data Licence)
Saanich has 3 MPs
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Saanich—Gulf Islands · Green Party of Canada · first elected 2011 · 50%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke · Liberal Party of Canada · 39%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Victoria · Liberal Party of Canada · 12%
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada20
- Conservative Party of Canada19
- New Democratic Party3
- Green Party of Canada1
As Wikidata records them.
Elizabeth May sits with the Green Party of Canada, which has 1 of the 43 seats from British Columbia, against 20 for the Liberal Party of Canada.
The MP’s record
On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Saanich—Gulf Islands would have gone to the Green Party of Canada with 36%, and Elizabeth May kept it for them in 2025. First elected in 2011, Elizabeth May is serving the 5th term of a Commons career.
MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026
In 2021, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke re-elected Randall Garrison of the New Democratic Party
Under the 2013 boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections, Saanich sat in Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke; the 2025 election put it in Saanich—Gulf Islands. 45% of Saanich lived in it.
Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke elected Randall Garrison (New Democratic Party) in 2021: 43% of the vote, a lead of 13,590 over Doug Kobayashi (Liberal Party of Canada). The 2019 result had favoured Randall Garrison as well, at 34%. 64% of electors in Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke voted in 2021, above the 63% turnout across Canada.
All 6 candidates in Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randall Garrison | New Democratic Party | 28,056 | 42.8% |
| Doug Kobayashi | Liberal Party of Canada | 14,466 | 22.1% |
| Laura Anne Frost | Conservative Party of Canada | 13,885 | 21.2% |
| Harley Gordon | Green Party of Canada | 5,891 | 9.0% |
| Rob Anderson | People's Party of Canada | 2,995 | 4.6% |
| Tyson Riel Strandlund | Communist Party of Canada | 249 | 0.4% |
Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Having a say in how Saanich is run
Check or update the federal list.
elections.ca ↗Every MP lists an office.
ourcommons.ca ↗Ridings, registration and voting dates.
elections.bc.ca ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Who holds each seat. Each MP’s name and party are Wikidata’s statements for the 45th Parliament, read in November 2026.
- Which riding. A riding is listed when 5% or more of the place’s 2021 Census residents live in it; the largest share comes first.
- Election results. Where the page says “today’s boundaries”, it means Elections Canada’s estimate of the 2021 vote on the 2023 ridings; every other count is official and on the 2013 map.
- Not on this page. Who controls the council by party (the open lists give none, and most Canadian councils sit without parties), budgets and band councils.
Questions about how Saanich is run
Who is the MP for Saanich?
Mostly Elizabeth May (Green Party of Canada), MP for Saanich—Gulf Islands; part of Saanich is in Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, held by Stephanie McLean.
Which party won Saanich in the 2021 federal election?
The New Democratic Party, with Randall Garrison in Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke; since 2025 Elizabeth May represents Saanich—Gulf Islands.
Who is the MLA for Saanich?
Saanich is split between Saanich South, Oak Bay-Gordon Head and Victoria-Swan Lake, so it has more than one MLA; the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia lists who holds each.
Who heads the council in Saanich?
The head of Saanich’s council isn’t named here; as a district municipality, it publishes its council itself.
Which regional body is Saanich part of?
The board of the Capital Regional District takes directors from member councils such as Saanich’s and runs regional services.
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · BC ridings: Elections BC 2023 electoral districts (Elections BC Open Data Licence) · Next municipal election: the province’s municipal election act · Municipality types: Statistics Canada census subdivisions · Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026 · BC 2024 results: Elections BC, Provincial Voting Results and Registered Voter Counts (Elections BC Open Data Licence). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).