# Beaches—East York (federal electoral district)

Beaches—East York (formerly Beaches—Woodbine) is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1988. This riding is situated east of Toronto's downtown.
According to the 2016 census, Beaches—East York has a population of 109,468 and is not known for its ethnic diversity compared to other ridings in Toronto. Consequently, it is 63.9% white, and has the highest percentage of people of English (24.2%), Canadian (19.7%), and Scottish (18.9%) ethnic origins of all ridings in the City of Toronto.
Since 2015, two-term Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith has represented Beaches—East York. At the 2019 federal elections, Erskine-Smith secured the largest margin of victory (20,204 votes) and the all-time largest share of the vote (57.2%) in Beaches—East York.
This riding has been historically represented by the political centre to left, with Maria Minna (Liberal) being its longest representative to date, holding the office for six terms.

## Geography

Beaches—East York is bordered by Coxwell Avenue to the west, the Don River and Sunrise Avenue to the north, Victoria Park Avenue to the east, and Lake Ontario to the south. The riding contains the neighbourhoods of the Beaches, Upper Beaches, East Danforth, O'Connor–Parkview, and part of Old East York.

## History

The federal riding of Beaches—Woodbine was created before the 1988 federal election from Beaches riding. Before the 1997 federal election, it adopted its current name.
The original boundary of the riding of Beaches-Woodbine began where the southern extension of Leslie Street intersects with Lake Ontario, proceeds north along Leslie Street, then east along Queen Street East, north along Greenwood Avenue, east along Gerrard Street East, and north along Coxwell Avenue until it turns into Coxwell Blvd. at O'Connor Drive.
It continues a short distance along this street where the boundary extends until it meets Taylor-Massey Creek. It follows the creek west (downstream) until it meets the Don River East Branch. The boundary follows the river northeast (upstream) until it meets the point where a westerly extension of Sunrise Avenue intersects with the river course.
The boundary continues east along Sunrise Avenue until it meets Victoria Park Avenue. The boundary turns south and follows the street south until it ends at Lake Ontario. The boundary follows the lake coast back west until it meets the beginning point.
In 2003, the western boundary was altered so that the portion west of Coxwell Avenue was transferred to the neighbouring riding of Toronto-Danforth. This riding was unchanged after the 2012 electoral redistribution.

### Members of Parliament

Since its creation as Beaches-Woodbine in 1988, Beaches—East York has been contested between Liberal and New Democratic candidates, with both parties nearly doubling Conservative vote totals.

#### Pre-2011

Hon. Maria Minna represented Beaches-East York for a record 18 straight years, as a member of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's and Prime Minister Paul Martin’s governments, and as a member of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition under Liberal Leaders Stéphane Dion and Michael Ignatieff.

#### 2011

In the 2011 election the riding was won by New Democratic Party candidate Matthew Kellway, beating out Liberal incumbent Maria Minna by nearly 11%.

#### 2015

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith defeated Matthew Kellway in the 2015 election by 10,345 votes. 2015 was Nathaniel Erskine-Smith’s first federal election.

#### 2019

The incumbent MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was re-elected with 32,168 votes. Mae J Nam was acclaimed as the NDP candidate on May 28, 2019 and was the runner-up, receiving 12,196 votes.
Beaches—East York has elected the following members of Parliament:
| Parliament | Years | Member | Party |
| Beaches—Woodbine Riding created from Beaches |||||
| 34th | 1988–1993 | Neil Young | New Democratic |
| 35th | 1993–1997 | Maria Minna | Liberal |
| Beaches—East York |||||
| 36th | 1997–2000 | Maria Minna | Liberal |
| 37th | 2000–2004 | Maria Minna | Liberal |
| 38th | 2004–2006 | Maria Minna | Liberal |
| 39th | 2006–2008 | Maria Minna | Liberal |
| 40th | 2008–2011 | Maria Minna | Liberal |
| 41st | 2011–2015 | Matthew Kellway | New Democratic |
| 42nd | 2015–2019 | Nathaniel Erskine-Smith | Liberal |
| 43rd | 2019–2021 | Nathaniel Erskine-Smith | Liberal |
| 44th | 2021–present | Nathaniel Erskine-Smith | Liberal |

## Demographics

According to the 2021 Canadian census
Languages: 67.9% English, 2.8% Bengali, 2.2% Cantonese, 1.8% French, 1.7% Greek, 1.6% Spanish, 1.4% Tagalog, 1.2% Urdu, 1.0% Italian
Religions: 43.3% Christian (20.0% Catholic, 5.3% Christian Orthodox, 4.1% Anglican, 2.7% United Church, 11.2% Other), 9.1% Muslim, 2.8% Hindu, 1.7% Jewish, 1.1% Buddhist, 40.6% None
Median income: $44,000 (2020)
Average income: $69,500 (2020)
Panethnic groups in Beaches—East York (2011−2021) :
| Panethnic group | 2021 | 2021 | 2016 | 2016 | 2011 | 2011 |
| Panethnic group | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % |
| European | 67,300 | 62.03% | 69,965 | 64.52% | 70,455 | 66.45% |
| South Asian | 12,290 | 11.33% | 11,820 | 10.9% | 11,015 | 10.39% |
| African | 8,260 | 7.61% | 7,130 | 6.58% | 5,805 | 5.47% |
| East Asian | 6,975 | 6.43% | 7,620 | 7.03% | 7,030 | 6.63% |
| Southeast Asian | 4,280 | 3.94% | 4,220 | 3.89% | 4,560 | 4.3% |
| Latin American | 2,225 | 2.05% | 1,490 | 1.37% | 1,310 | 1.24% |
| Indigenous | 1,980 | 1.82% | 2,055 | 1.9% | 1,990 | 1.88% |
| Middle Eastern | 1,980 | 1.82% | 1,665 | 1.54% | 1,445 | 1.36% |
| Other/multiracial | 3,200 | 2.95% | 2,470 | 2.28% | 2,415 | 2.28% |
| Total responses | 108,500 | 99.21% | 108,435 | 99.06% | 106,030 | 99.02% |
| Total population | 109,359 | 100% | 109,468 | 100% | 107,084 | 100% |
| Notes: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses. Demographics based on 2012 Canadian federal electoral redistribution riding boundaries. |||||||

## Election results
### Beaches—East York

vte2021 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Nathaniel Erskine-Smith | 28,919 | 56.58 | -0.65 | $84,476.95 |
| | New Democratic | Alejandra Ruiz Vargas | 11,513 | 22.52 | +1.23 | $34,400.36 |
| | Conservative | Lisa Robinson* | 7,336 | 14.35 | +0.19 | $20,930.77 |
| | People's | Radu Rautescu | 1,613 | 3.16 | +1.70 | $0.00 |
| | Green | Reuben Anthony DeBoer | 1,388 | 2.71 | -3.15 | $1,906.03 |
| | Independent | Karen Lee Wilde | 166 | 0.32 | | $0.00 |
| | Communist | Jennifer Moxon | 131 | 0.26 | | $0.00 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Philip Fernandez | 50 | 0.10 | | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 51,116 | 99.34 | – | $110,305.28 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 340 | 0.66 | +0.07 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,456 | 65.05 | -5.15 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 79,102 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | -0.94 |
| Source: Elections Canada *After the ballots had been printed, but before the election day itself, Robinson was dropped by the party as the CPC candidate. She would not have been admitted to the Conservative caucus had she won. |||||||
vte2019 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Nathaniel Erskine-Smith | 32,168 | 57.2 | +7.75 | $74,562.95 |
| | New Democratic | Mae J. Nam | 11,964 | 21.3 | -9.52 | $91,821.20 |
| | Conservative | Nadirah Nazeer | 7,957 | 14.2 | -2.23 | none listed |
| | Green | Sean Manners | 3,295 | 5.9 | +3.32 | none listed |
| | People's | Deborah McKenzie | 822 | 1.5 | - | $1,821.54 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 56,206 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 80,981 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +8.64 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2015 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Nathaniel Erskine-Smith | 27,458 | 49.45 | +18.69 | $104,089.50 |
| | New Democratic | Matthew Kellway | 17,113 | 30.82 | -10.82 | $129,211.99 |
| | Conservative | Bill Burrows | 9,124 | 16.43 | -6.31 | $35,453.04 |
| | Green | Randall Sach | 1,433 | 2.58 | -2.02 | $3,691.94 |
| | Independent | James Sears | 254 | 0.46 | – | $35,400.00 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Roger Carter | 105 | 0.19 | -0.08 | – |
| | Independent | Peter Surjanac | 43 | 0.08 | – | $449.62 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 55,530 | 100.00 | | $208,561.84 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 216 | 0.39 | – |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,746 | 73.18 | – |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 76,173 |
| | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Swing | Swing | +14.76 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2011 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | New Democratic | Matthew Kellway | 20,265 | 41.64 | +9.51 | $ 68,735.05 |
| | Liberal | Maria Minna | 14,967 | 30.75 | -10.22 | $ 83,269.97 |
| | Conservative | Bill Burrows | 11,067 | 22.74 | +5.66 | $ 32,786.98 |
| | Green | Aaron Cameron | 2,240 | 4.60 | -4.88 | $ 12,901.50 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Roger Carter | 130 | 0.27 | -0.06 | |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 48,669 | 100.00 | – |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 193 | 0.39 | +0.02 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,862 | 68.54 | +5.61 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 71,286 | – | – |
vte2008 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Maria Minna | 18,967 | 40.97 | +0.59 | $76,404 |
| | New Democratic | Marilyn Churley | 14,875 | 32.13 | -2.83 | $75,350 |
| | Conservative | Caroline Alleslev | 7,907 | 17.08 | -0.96 | $21,853 |
| | Green | Zoran Markovski | 4,389 | 9.48 | +3.42 | $22,434 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Roger Carter | 155 | 0.33 | +0.16 | |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 46,293 | 100.00 | $82,179 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 172 | 0.37 | +0.04 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,465 | 62.93 | -7.08 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.71 | |
vte2006 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Maria Minna | 20,678 | 40.39 | $73,454.03 |
| | New Democratic | Marilyn Churley | 17,900 | 34.96 | $74,996.37 |
| | Conservative | Peter Conroy | 9,238 | 18.04 | $74,667.09 |
| | Green | Jim Harris | 3,106 | 6.07 | $9,644.25 |
| | Progressive Canadian | Jim Love | 183 | 0.36 | $244.26 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Roger Carter | 91 | 0.18 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 51,196 | 100.00 | |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 168 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,364 | 70.51 | |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 72,844 | | |
| Sources: Official Results, Elections Canada and Financial Returns, Elections Canada. |||||||
vte2004 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Maria Minna | 22,494 | 47.92 | -4.9 |
| | New Democratic | Peter Tabuns | 15,156 | 32.29 | +11.3 |
| | Conservative | Nick Nikopoulos | 6,603 | 14.06 | -8.5 |
| | Green | Peter Davison | 2,127 | 4.53 | +3.1 |
| | Marijuana | Daniel Dufresne | 365 | 0.77 | -0.8 |
| | Independent | Edward Slota | 80 | 0.17 | |
| | Communist | Miguel Figueroa | 62 | 0.13 | -0.1 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Roger Carter | 46 | 0.09 | 0.0 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 46,933 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 204 | 0.43 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,137 | 64.02 |
| Conservative vote is compared to the total of the Canadian Alliance vote and Progressive Conservative vote in 2000 election. |||||||
vte2000 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Maria Minna | 22,515 | 52.7 | +4.8 | $61,974 |
| | New Democratic | Mel Watkins | 8,936 | 20.9 | −2.6 | $54,232 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Wayne Clutterbuck | 5,766 | 13.5 | +1.2 | $13,989 |
| | Alliance | Abu Alam | 3,838 | 9.0 | −5.3 | $9,047 |
| | Marijuana | Bruce Watson | 683 | 1.6 | | none listed |
| | Green | James Mendel | 599 | 1.4 | | $102 |
| | Canadian Action | Randall Whitcomb | 128 | 0.3 | | none listed |
| | Natural Law | Donalda Fredeen | 88 | 0.2 | | none listed |
| | Communist | Ann Nicholson | 82 | 0.2 | | $202 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Steve Rutchinski | 53 | 0.1 | | $8 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 42,687 | 99.6 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 179 | 0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,866 | 56.9 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 75,284 | 100.0 |
| Note: Canadian Alliance vote is compared to the Reform vote in 1997 election. Sources: Official Results, Elections Canada and Financial Returns, Elections Canada. |||||||
vte1997 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Maria Minna | 21,844 | 47.9 | +8.0 |
| | New Democratic | Mel Watkins | 10,730 | 23.5 | +5.0 |
| | Reform | Gary Miller | 6,534 | 14.3 | -1.1 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jack Simpson | 5,611 | 12.3 | +1.6 |
| | Green | John Scheer | 589 | 1.3 | +0.5 |
| | Natural Law | Donalda Fredeen | 264 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 45,572 | 100.0 |

### Beaches—Woodbine

vte1993 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Maria Minna | 17,582 | 40.0 | +6.7 |
| | New Democratic | Neil Young | 8,151 | 18.5 | -16.6 |
| | Reform | Hugh Prendergast | 6,773 | 15.4 | |
| | Progressive Conservative | Denise Cole | 4,693 | 10.7 | -18.6 |
| | Independent | Terry Kelly | 4,525 | 10.3 | |
| | National | John-Frederick Cameron | 1,214 | 2.8 | |
| | Green | Leane Haze | 357 | 0.8 | +0.1 |
| | Natural Law | Donalda Fredeen | 276 | 0.6 | |
| | Independent | Keith Meadowcroft | 195 | 0.4 | |
| | Abolitionist | Zahid Tirmizi | 120 | 0.3 | |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Pierre Chénier | 96 | 0.2 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 43,982 | 100.0 |
vte1988 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | New Democratic | Neil Young | 15,760 | 35.2 |
| | Liberal | Terry Kelly | 14,900 | 33.2 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jim O'Malley | 13,107 | 29.2 |
| | Libertarian | Dennis Corrigan | 351 | 0.8 |
| | Green | Michael Tegtmeyer | 317 | 0.7 |
| | Independent | Ronald Clifford | 259 | 0.6 |
| | Independent | Wally Pearson | 71 | 0.2 |
| | Commonwealth of Canada | Charles Odell | 48 | 0.1 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 44,813 | 100.0 |