Many longtime BC NDP incumbents will not return to the legislature

VANCOUVER — The Conservative Party of BC is projected to form a majority government after Saturday’s provincial election, and the legislature that returns will be missing several longtime BC NDP incumbents who held their ridings for years or decades through previous cycles.Former Premier David Eby, while conceding defeat on Saturday night in Vancouver, told supporters that “some of the hardest-working MLAs I know for their communities were not elected tonight. It breaks my heart, and I accept full responsibility for that outcome.”.The legislature that convenes will indeed lack the institutional memory of several MLAs who had served since 2017 or even, in some cases, much earlier..The losses hit hardest in Surrey, where Conservatives swept all 10 ridings. Jagrup Brar, the MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood and minister of mining and critical minerals, lost to Garry Purewal. Brar had held the seat for 14 of the last 17 years and was first elected in 2004. Preliminary counts showed Purewal at 8,691 votes to Brar’s 6,522.Brar, while delivering his own concession speech on Saturday, told supporters: "This is not the outcome we were expecting.".Garry Begg, first elected in Surrey-Guildford in 2017 and later parliamentary secretary for Surrey infrastructure, also lost. Begg had survived the 2024 election by 22 votes after a recount. Jessie Sunner, formerly minister of post-secondary education and future skills, lost in nearby Surrey-Newton. .NDP incumbent Amna Shah also lost in Surrey City Centre..Elsewhere in the Vancouver Metro Area, Anne Kang, first elected in Burnaby Centre in 2017 and later minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport, lost to Joshua Domnich. Janet Routledge, first elected in Burnaby North in 2017 and serving as government whip, lost to Simon Chandler. Both had served three terms.Three BC NDP incumbents in Burnaby — Paul Choi, Raj Chouhan, and Rohini Arora — appear poised to return to the legislature, all on surprisingly narrow margins in ridings previously considered to be NDP strongholds..In the Tri-Cities, Rick Glumac, first elected in 2017 and minister of state for artificial intelligence and new technologies, lost in Port Moody-Burquitlam. Glumac told reporters that “nobody was happy with the snap election. It was the wrong call. It cost the NDP the government.” Jodie Wickens, minister of children and family development, lost in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain. Jennifer Blatherwick lost in Coquitlam-Maillardville.Susie Chant, first elected in North Vancouver-Seymour in 2020, lost to Lynne Block. Terry Yung, minister of state for community safety and integrated services, lost in Vancouver-Yaletown. Public safety was a top-line issue in the riding. A video posted September 27 on X shows a person urinating on the sidewalk next to supporters holding Yung signs. The post called it “The NDP campaign all in one quick video.”.Conservatives also took Vancouver-Langara and Vancouver-Fraserview from NDP incumbents..Not every longtime NDP MLA was defeated.Adrian Dix, first elected in Vancouver-Kingsway in 2005 and a former health minister and party leader, was re-elected. .Mike Farnworth held Port Coquitlam in a tight race. First elected MLA for Port Coquitlam in 1991, Farworth served from 1991 to 2001, was defeated in 2001, returned in 2005, and has been continuously re-elected since. As of 2026 that is 35 years since first election, with a four-year gap, or 21 continuous years since 2005..Bowinn Ma won a fourth term in North Vancouver-Lonsdale. And even Eby himself held Vancouver-Point Grey — albeit by only a preliminary margin of 538 votes.

Many longtime BC NDP incumbents will not return to the legislature

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