Burnaby South

Burnaby South is a federal riding in the southern portion of the City of Burnaby in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. The by-election was called following the resignation of NDP MP Kennedy Stewart on September 14, 2018. Stewart left his federal seat to run for mayor of Vancouver, which he won in the October 2018 municipal election.

Candidates

Jagmeet Singh (NDP) — The leader of the federal New Democratic Party since October 2017, Singh was seeking a seat in the House of Commons for the first time since becoming leader. A lawyer by training, he had previously served as a Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario, representing Bramalea—Gore—Malton from 2011 to 2017. His victory in Burnaby South was widely seen as critical to his continued leadership of the party heading into the October 2019 general election.

Richard T. Lee (Liberal) — A former BC Liberal MLA who represented the provincial riding of Burnaby North from 2001 to 2017. Born in Zhongshan, China, Lee lived in Hong Kong and Macau before immigrating to Canada in 1971. He was appointed as the federal Liberal candidate after the original nominee, Karen Wang, withdrew from the race in January 2019.

Jay Shin (Conservative) — A corporate commercial lawyer with offices in Burnaby who specialized in cross-border transactions between Korean and Canadian entities across sectors including mining, energy, technology, and real estate. He held degrees from the University of Toronto in human biology, from UBC in mechanical engineering, and a law degree also from UBC. He had previously been a partner at major national firms including Gowling WLG and Borden Ladner Gervais.

Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson (People's Party) — A former host of the Canadian edition of The 700 Club television program who became the first candidate to stand for election for Maxime Bernier's People's Party of Canada. She had previously run for the Burnaby Board of Education in the November 2018 municipal election.

About the Riding

Burnaby South covers the southern portion of the City of Burnaby, bounded roughly by Lougheed Highway to the north, Vancouver to the west, Coquitlam to the east, and the Fraser River to the south. The riding includes Metrotown, one of Metro Vancouver's largest commercial and high-rise residential centres, anchored by the Metropolis at Metrotown shopping complex and served by a SkyTrain station that is among the busiest in the regional transit system.

The riding is one of the most ethnically diverse in Canada. According to census data, ethnic Chinese residents make up the largest single community in Burnaby, followed by those of European descent, with significant Korean and South Asian populations as well. The area's high-rise condominium towers, particularly around Metrotown, reflect waves of immigration from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and South Korea since the 1990s.

The local economy is driven by retail, healthcare, education (including Simon Fraser University on nearby Burnaby Mountain and the British Columbia Institute of Technology), technology firms, and film production. The median household income in 2020 was approximately $79,500. The riding has experienced substantial densification and urban development around its SkyTrain stations.