Delta

Occupying the flat, fertile peninsula where the Fraser River meets the Strait of Georgia, the federal riding of Delta encompasses the entire municipality of Delta — the three distinct communities of North Delta, Ladner, and Tsawwassen — south of the Fraser River in Metro Vancouver. The riding covers roughly 180 square kilometres bounded by the Fraser River to the north, the US border and Boundary Bay to the south, Surrey to the east, and the Strait of Georgia to the west.

Candidates

Carla Qualtrough (Liberal) — A human rights lawyer and Paralympic swimmer who competed for Canada at the 1988 and 1992 Paralympic Games, Qualtrough served as president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee from 2006 to 2011 and worked with the 2010 Legacies Now organization. She held a law degree from the University of Victoria and had served as vice-chair of the BC Workers' Compensation Appeal Tribunal.

Kerry-Lynne Findlay (Conservative) — A lawyer and Queen's Counsel, Findlay had represented the predecessor riding of Delta—Richmond East since 2011. She served in the Harper cabinet as Minister of National Revenue from 2013, having previously held roles as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Associate Minister of National Defence.

Jeremy Leveque (NDP) — Leveque ran as the NDP candidate in a riding where the contest was widely seen as a two-way race between the Liberals and Conservatives.

Anthony Edward Devellano (Green Party) also ran.

About the Riding

North Delta, home to over half the municipality's population at roughly 52,000 residents, is a largely suburban community of single-family homes bordered by Burns Bog, one of the largest undeveloped urban bogs in North America and an important ecological conservation area. Ladner, a historic fishing village with a population of about 21,000, has grown into a residential area while retaining its heritage downtown along 48th Avenue. Tsawwassen, with approximately 21,000 residents, serves as the terminal for BC Ferries' mainland-to-Vancouver Island routes.

The riding's economy is shaped by its agricultural land base in the Agricultural Land Reserve, the Tsawwassen ferry terminal and associated tourism, port-related logistics connected to the Roberts Bank Superport (Deltaport and Westshore Terminals), and suburban retail. The Tsawwassen Mills shopping centre was under construction in 2015 on Tsawwassen First Nation lands.

Federal issues in 2015 included the proposed expansion of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 container port, agricultural land preservation, transportation infrastructure including the George Massey Tunnel replacement project, and environmental concerns related to Burns Bog conservation and Fraser River estuary health.