Victoria

The Victoria federal riding encompasses the entirety of British Columbia's capital city, the District of Oak Bay, and the southeastern portion of the District of Saanich, including the University of Victoria campus. Covering approximately 40 square kilometres at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, it is a compact, densely populated urban riding whose political character is shaped by its concentration of government, post-secondary institutions, and a deeply rooted progressive civic culture.

Candidates

Laurel Collins (NDP) -- Born in Kispiox in northern British Columbia, Collins grew up moving across the province as the child of school teachers. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of King's College and Dalhousie University and a master's in human security and peacebuilding from Royal Roads University. She worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Northern Uganda, directed programs at Victoria Women in Need, and co-founded Divest Victoria, a grassroots fossil fuel divestment organization. From 2014 to 2019 she taught sociology at the University of Victoria. She was elected to Victoria City Council in 2018 with the Together Victoria slate before seeking federal office.

Racelle Kooy (Green Party) -- Of Secwepemc, St'atl'imc, and Dutch ancestry and a member of the Samahquam First Nation, Kooy earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in tourism management from the Universite du Quebec a Montreal and studied resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University. She worked as marketing director for the Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia, served as director of communications at the First Nations University of Canada, and held the role of bilingual co-chair at the Assembly of First Nations.

Nikki Macdonald (Liberal) -- The daughter of former Pierre Trudeau-era federal cabinet minister Donald Macdonald, Nikki Macdonald spent twelve years in the federal government in Ottawa, including serving as director of appointments to Prime Minister Jean Chretien and as a senior adviser to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. She later held the position of Executive Director of Government Relations at the University of Victoria and held a PhD focused on environmental and ocean governance.

Richard Caron (Conservative) -- The Conservative candidate for Victoria, Caron campaigned on affordability and support for small businesses, advocating for restoring small business tax rates and reducing regulatory burdens.

Alyson Culbert (People's Party), Jordan Reichert (Animal Protection Party), Robert Duncan (Communist), David Shebib (Independent), and Keith Rosenberg (VCP) also stood as candidates.

About the Riding

Victoria's economy is anchored by the provincial government, whose legislature and surrounding ministry offices on the Inner Harbour are the city's largest employer. The University of Victoria, near the riding's northeastern boundary, and Royal Roads University in neighbouring Colwood contribute a substantial post-secondary sector. The federal government maintains a significant presence through Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, located just beyond the riding's western boundary, and various federal departments. Oak Bay, an affluent residential municipality of heritage homes and waterfront properties along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, offers a more traditional demographic counterpoint to the progressive-leaning urban core. Victoria's technology sector had grown substantially in the years before the election, with clusters of firms in downtown and surrounding areas. Housing affordability and rental vacancy rates were among the most pressing local issues, as the city's rental market remained extremely tight and homelessness had become an increasingly visible concern. Climate policy, environmental protection of coastal waters, and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples were also prominent campaign themes in a riding whose voters consistently rank environmental issues among their top priorities.