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Here's who's officially declared candidacy for the BC NDP in Burnaby

General voting day is scheduled for Oct. 19.
Jess Balzer
Jess Balzer
bcndpmlas
[From left to right] The BC NDP's Burnaby candidates include Reah Arora (Burnaby East), Paul Choi (Burnaby South-Metrotown), Raj Chouhan (Burnaby-New Westminster), Anne Kang (Burnaby Centre) and Janet Routledge (Burnaby North). Contributed/BC NDP/Jess Balzer, Burnaby NOW

As we head towards the 2024 provincial election, declarations of candidates by B.C. political parties have picked up in recent weeks. 

Candidate nominations officially close on Sept. 28 at 1 p.m.

The NOW published declared candidates for BC United on Tuesday, July 16.

BC Conservative Party candidates will be posted tomorrow, July 18.

The BC NDP has declared candidates in all five Burnaby ridings, as of this publication, July 16, for the 2024 election.

Should candidates change, we will update this story. 

Burnaby-New Westminster

Raj Chouhan was first elected as Burnaby-Edmonds MLA in 2005 and is seeking a fifth consecutive term, earning re-election in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2020.

He was also elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on Dec. 7, 2020. 

"As a labour leader, as a legislator, and as the first South Asian Speaker of the House in the BC legislature, Raj has been working for people for his entire life," B.C. Premier David Eby said in a recent news release.

"He knows that people need a government that will take action for them, not for powerful interests."

Burnaby North

Janet Routledge first won the Burnaby North seat in 2017. She's currently the parliamentary secretary for labour. 

Re-elected in 2020, Routledge won by more than 6,000 votes, beating out Liberal candidate Raymond Dong 12,894 votes to 6,846.

She confirmed to the NOW in January she intended to seek a third term. 

“Janet has been on the side of working people for her entire career — both before public office, and as an MLA,” Eby added of Routledge. 

“The people of Burnaby North can count on her to fight for them, their families, and the issues they care about.”

Burnaby Centre

Anne Kang was first elected in Burnaby-Deer Lake in 2017, collecting 8,747 votes compared to Liberal candidate Karen Xiao Bao Wang's 6,491 votes. 

Kang was re-elected in 2020, securing 9,190 votes while Liberal candidate Glynnis Hoi Sum Chan finished with 5,163. 

Kang is currently the Minister of Municipal Affairs and has previously served as Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training, Minister of Citizens' Services and the Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors. 

She was also a three-term Burnaby City Councillor before moving to provincial politics. 

Burnaby East

Reah Arora, who grew up in Burnaby's Westridge neighbourhood, is currently the Director of Organizing at the BC Federation of Labour. 

She will be running to replace Burnaby-Lougheed MLA Katrina Chen, who announced she would be stepping away from a ministry role to unpack long-term trauma as a result of gender-based violence, later confirming she would not seek re-election. 

The provincial election won't be Arora's first try at politics. 

She ran in the Burnaby municipal election in 2022, vying for a seat on city council as part of the Burnaby Citizens Association.

Arora came up just short, finishing with 10,513 votes, only 380 behind Coun. Daniel Tetrault. 

“Growing up in Burnaby, I’ve seen the effect that reckless cuts have on people and families. John Rustad and Kevin Falcon made deep cuts to healthcare and education, and they’d do it again," she added in the BC NDP news release. 

“The BC NDP is taking action to make life better — whether that’s reducing the cost of car insurance or childcare, or building the affordable homes that people in Burnaby desperately need. I’m proud to be running with this team.”

Burnaby South-Metrotown

Paul Choi was officially announced as the BC NDP candidate for Burnaby South-Metrotown on June 17. 

Choi sits as President of the Burnaby North Road BIA and serves on the Board of Governors at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. 

He has also worked as a lawyer, first responder and volunteer.

“Growing up in a working-class family, we relied on strong public services. But we know that Falcon and Rustad would just deliver reckless and risky cuts,” Choi said in a news release. 

“For my family, and every family like us, we need a government that is on our side, taking action to make life easier. That’s David Eby and the NDP.”