Surrey—Newton

Surrey—Newton covers the Newton neighbourhood, the largest and most populous of Surrey's six town centres, situated in the southern portion of the city. Created in the 2012 redistribution from parts of the former Surrey North, the riding extends across a dense mix of residential subdivisions, commercial corridors along King George Boulevard and 72nd Avenue, and community facilities including the Newton Recreation Centre.

Candidates

Sukh Dhaliwal (Liberal) — The incumbent MP, first elected in this riding in 2015, Dhaliwal was a professional engineer, Fellow of Engineers Canada, and registered land surveyor who co-founded a land surveying company in Surrey. He had previously served as MP for Newton—North Delta from 2006 to 2011, winning his first seat by exactly one thousand votes.

Harjit Singh Gill (NDP) — A well-known Punjabi-language radio broadcaster at Sher-E-Punjab Radio, Gill immigrated to Canada in 1997 and had been a longtime Surrey resident. Through his broadcasting career he advocated on behalf of trucking industry workers, agricultural labourers, international students, and immigrants seeking credential recognition.

Harpreet Singh (Conservative) — A Punjabi-language radio and television broadcaster, Singh was running for the second consecutive federal election in the riding. He was a vocal critic of political repression in India and had participated in rallies and demonstrations raising awareness about human rights issues abroad.

Rabaab Khehra (Green Party) — Khehra ran as the Green candidate in the riding.

Holly Verchère stood for the People's Party.

About the Riding

Newton is one of Metro Vancouver's most culturally distinctive neighbourhoods. A large majority of residents are of South Asian heritage, predominantly Punjabi, and the community hosts one of the largest Vaisakhi celebrations outside India each year. Gurdwaras, community centres, and South Asian-owned businesses line the commercial corridors, and Punjabi is widely spoken alongside English.

The riding's economy is rooted in small business, trades, and the transportation sector. Many residents work in trucking, warehousing, construction, and retail. Kwantlen Polytechnic University's Surrey campus is located within the riding, providing post-secondary education and job training. The King George Boulevard commercial strip is anchored by ethnic grocery stores, restaurants, jewellery shops, and professional services offices.

Public safety was a significant local concern heading into 2019. Gang violence had affected youth in the broader Surrey South Asian community, and candidates debated strategies for prevention and intervention. The RCMP-to-municipal-police transition was a charged topic in Newton, where opinions were divided on whether a new force would improve community outcomes. Housing affordability, while historically more manageable in Newton than elsewhere in Metro Vancouver, was deteriorating as prices climbed across the region. Multi-generational households were increasingly common as families pooled resources. Access to government services in Punjabi and other South Asian languages remained a practical concern for many residents.