Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon

Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon is among British Columbia's most geographically diverse federal ridings, stretching from the suburban Fraser Valley community of Mission and the northern neighbourhoods of Abbotsford all the way through the Fraser Canyon to Cache Creek, a rural community west of Kamloops. The riding takes in the District of Mission (population roughly 39,000), the District of Kent, the resort village of Harrison Hot Springs, and a vast swath of rugged canyon terrain including the communities of Boston Bar, Lytton, Lillooet, and Ashcroft. With a 2016 population of approximately 94,800, it combines fast-growing lower Fraser Valley suburbs with sparsely settled Interior communities—a demographic split that gives the riding a dual identity. Approximately 25% of residents are seniors, the third-highest proportion in both British Columbia and Canada.

Candidates

Brad Vis (Conservative) Born in 1984, Vis holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of British Columbia and a master's degree in political science from Carleton University. His career has spanned government, politics, communications, public relations, and the agri-business sector. First elected in 2019, he served as Conservative Shadow Minister for Housing and focused his parliamentary work on affordability and agricultural policy.

Geet Grewal (Liberal) A young lawyer with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Leicester and a Master of Laws from Queen Mary University of London, Grewal won the Liberal nomination in August 2021. She ran on a platform emphasizing climate action, environmental protection, job creation, and building a more inclusive Canada.

Lynn Perrin (NDP) A 25-year resident of rural and isolated communities within the riding, Perrin holds a Master of Public Policy from Simon Fraser University, where her thesis examined policies to promote farmers' markets in British Columbia. She campaigned on climate change and fossil fuel reduction, drawing on her background in environmental and agricultural advocacy.

Tyler Niles (PPC) Niles ran as the People's Party of Canada candidate in the riding, representing the party's platform of limited government and personal freedom.

About the Riding

The riding's geography creates starkly different lived experiences for its residents. In the south, Mission and the Matsqui portions of Abbotsford function as commuter communities for workers heading west to Metro Vancouver, and population growth has driven demand for housing, schools, and transit. In the north, the Fraser Canyon is one of British Columbia's most dramatic and historically significant corridors—the route of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Trans-Canada Highway, and centuries of Indigenous habitation by the Nlaka'pamux, Secwepemc, and Stó:lō peoples.

The riding experienced devastating natural disasters in 2021. On June 30, a wildfire fuelled by a record-breaking heat dome destroyed approximately 90% of the village of Lytton, which had recorded Canada's all-time high temperature of 49.6°C the previous day. The fire killed two residents and displaced the entire community. Months later, in November, catastrophic flooding inundated the Fraser Valley, washing out highways and rail lines, cutting off communities, and causing billions of dollars in damage to farmland and infrastructure across the region.

Agriculture is a significant economic force in the southern portion of the riding. The Matsqui prairie and surrounding areas support dairy farming, poultry, berry production, and other crops protected under the Agricultural Land Reserve. Harrison Hot Springs, at the southern end of Harrison Lake, draws tourists to its mineral hot springs, resort hotels, and annual sand sculpture competition. Forestry and ranching sustain livelihoods in the Interior, while the Fraser Canyon's narrow corridors remain critical transportation links between the coast and the Interior.