New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville is getting its moment in the national spotlight.
CPAC — the Cable Public Affairs Channel — is visiting the riding on April 20 and 21 as part of its coverage of the April 28 federal election. While in New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville, the CPAC team will be speaking with community members about key election issues.
CPAC’s Campaign Politics’ coverage is doing a deep dive into what it considers some of the most closely watched races in Canada.
Diana Ombe, communications and marketing coordinator with CPAC, said reporter Laura Di Battista will be in New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville to follow around the candidates as they campaign throughout the riding. She will also be speaking with voters to learn which issues are important to them.
“This riding has been considered a safe NDP seat not just for years but for decades,” Ombe said in an email to the Record. “The new political reality — where we have a new Liberal leader, a protectionist U.S. government, and a persistent concern with affordability, combined with an NDP leader who has failed to inspire Canadians — has left the party’s fortunes in this riding vulnerable, at least according to the latest polling.”
The New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville segment is expected to air on April 23.
New Westminster’s federal boundaries have shifted through the years, as a result of changes recommended by the electoral boundaries commission. At various times, New West has been part of a riding that included parts of Burnaby and/or Coquitlam.
The 2025 federal election marks the first time electors will vote in the newly created New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville riding.
While NDP candidates, including Dawn Black (1988 to 1993 in New Westminster-Burnaby and 2006 to 2009 in New Westminster Coquitlam), Fin Donnelly, and Peter Julian (2004 to 2025), have represented New Westminster in Ottawa since the 2000s, the city has not always been represented by the NDP.
In the New Westminster Coquitlam-Burnaby riding, Paul Forseth was elected MP as a Reform Party of Canada candidate in 1993, as a Canadian Alliance candidate in 1997, and as a Conservative candidate in 2004.
Most recently, in the Sept. 20, 2021 federal election, Julian (NDP) cruised to victory with 24,054 votes, followed by Liberal candidate Rozina Jaffer (11,685 votes), Conservative candidate Paige Munro (9,710), Green candidate David Macdonald (2,035), and People's Party candidate Kevin Heide (1,840).
Five candidates are vying to be the MP for New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville.
