Vancouver East is known as a New Democratic Party stronghold; the NDP and its Co-operative Commonwealth Federation predecessor have won all but two elections in the riding since its creation in 1933.

The Conservative Party and its right-leaning predecessors have always fared poorly in the riding, rarely garnering more than 20 percent of the vote.

In the 2006 federal election, the NDP won a higher percentage of the vote in Vancouver East than in any other riding in the country: 56.6 percent.

Manufacturing, tourism, shipping, accommodation and food service industries are vital to the employment base in this riding.

Prior to her federal service, she was a member of Vancouver City Council and the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.