Chilliwack—Hope

Situated in the eastern Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Chilliwack—Hope spans from the agricultural lowlands around Chilliwack south of the Fraser River eastward to the mountain community of Hope at the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla rivers. Created through the 2012 redistribution from roughly three-quarters of the former Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon riding, this new constituency reflected the Fraser Valley's population growth while losing the northern canyon communities along Highway 1 from Yale to Cache Creek.

Candidates

Mark Strahl (Conservative) — First elected in 2011 in the predecessor riding of Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon, Strahl is the son of former Conservative MP and federal cabinet minister Chuck Strahl. During the previous Parliament, he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and as BC Caucus Chair.

Louis De Jaeger (Liberal) — A Chilliwack restaurateur who owned Bravo Restaurant and Lounge, De Jaeger had a hospitality career spanning over thirty years and was active in the local business community. He finished second in the race with strong Liberal support.

Seonaigh MacPherson (NDP) — An associate professor and head of Adult Education at the University of the Fraser Valley, MacPherson brought over thirty years of teaching experience working with refugees and vulnerable communities. She campaigned on democratic reform and environmental sustainability.

Thomas Cheney (Green Party), Alexander Johnson (Libertarian), and Dorothy-Jean O'Donnell (Marxist-Leninist) also stood for election.

About the Riding

Chilliwack, with a population of approximately 83,000, is the largest city in the riding and one of the fastest-growing communities in British Columbia. The city's economy blends agriculture — dairy farming, berry production, and corn cultivation dominate the fertile Fraser Valley floodplain — with a growing service and retail sector. Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack closed in 1997 but the former military lands have been redeveloped as the Canada Education Park, housing the University of the Fraser Valley campus and other educational institutions.

Hope, at the eastern edge of the riding with a population of roughly 6,000, sits at the junction of Highways 1, 3, and 5, serving as a gateway to the BC interior. The forestry industry remains important to Hope's economy, though tourism related to outdoor recreation in the surrounding Cascade Mountains provides an increasingly significant economic contribution.

In 2015, federal issues included flood protection infrastructure along the Fraser River, agricultural support programs, and transportation investment including the Trans-Canada Highway corridor through the Fraser Valley.