Liberal incumbent Terry Beech wins in Burnaby North-Seymour

Liberal incumbent Terry Beech has won the riding ofBurnaby North-Seymour.

The Liberal held on to the seat he first won in 2015, thwarting an attempted political comeback by the NDP's Svend Robinson.

The riding is considered ground-zero for the debate over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Beech was one of only two MPs who voted against the project in the House of Commons, but he also represented the government that bought the1,150-kilometre pipeline in order to save a proposalto twin it, in order to facilitate the flow of diluted bitumen from Alberta to Burrard Inlet.

The endpoint of the project Westridge Marine Terminal sits in the middle of the Burnaby North-Seymour riding, which includes parts of both Burnaby and North Vancouver.

Robinson's return

Despite the pipeline controversy, Beech won a handy victory overRobinson, the former NDP MP who re-entered the political fray in order to fight against the pipeline.

Beech argued that the pipeline purchase would guarantee the kind of strong economy that will give Canada the "social licence" to invest in climate change.

Nationwide, the Liberals under Justin Trudeauheld onto just enough seats inAtlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario to secure a minority government.

Robinson, who was Canada's first openly gay MP, spent 25 years in the House of Commons before retiring in 2004 after admitting to stealing a diamond ring while attending a public jewellery auction.

He said he had been battling severe stress at the time.

Robinson, who opposes the Trans Mountain expansion, had hopedto benefit from voters who felt betrayed by the Liberals' position on the pipeline.

Homophobic statements

Beyond the issue of the pipeline, the fight for Burnaby North-Seymour was also rocked mid-contest by the discovery of past homophobic statements by Conservative candidate Heather Leung.

The controversy led the Conservatives to turf Leung, who had also expressed publicsupport for conversion therapy. She went on to run as an Independentbut was still registered as a Conservative.

Leungwas in full support of the pipeline, as was Rocky Dong, the candidate for the People's Party of Canada.

Green candidate Amita Kuttnersaid she is opposed to both the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and fracking.