Abbotsford—South Langley

Abbotsford—South Langley is a new federal riding created under the 2022 redistribution, carved from the former Abbotsford riding. It covers the southern portion of the City of Abbotsford west of Highway 11 and extends into the Township of Langley south of Highway 1, taking in the communities of Aldergrove, Bradner, Mt. Lehman, Matsqui, and Yarrow. With a population of approximately 116,000, the riding sits squarely in British Columbia’s agricultural heartland—blueberry fields, dairy operations, and poultry farms blanket much of the landscape, while suburban housing developments press outward from the urban cores. About 19 percent of residents identify as Sikh, reflecting a large South Asian community with deep roots in Fraser Valley farming.

Candidates

Sukhman Gill (Conservative) is a blueberry farmer in his mid-twenties who was raised on a family farm near Abbotsford. A political newcomer, Gill won the Conservative nomination on March 8, 2025, campaigning on agriculture, public safety, affordable housing, and healthcare staffing. His family has roots in the Moga district of Punjab, India.

Kevin Gillies (Liberal) is a former newspaper reporter who wrote for the North Shore News, the Abbotsford and Mission Times, and the Vancouver Sun. He later worked as a Fraser Valley realtor and entered the 2025 race as a first-time candidate.

Michael de Jong (Independent) served eight terms as a BC Liberal MLA for Abbotsford-area ridings from 1994 to 2024, holding cabinet portfolios including Finance, Attorney General, Health, and Public Safety. After the federal Conservative party denied his nomination application, de Jong ran as an independent.

Dharmasena Yakandawela (NDP) is an immigration lawyer who previously served as a judge in Sri Lanka. He ran as the NDP candidate in the former Abbotsford riding in 2021.

Melissa Snazell (Green Party) has lived in Aldergrove for twelve years and works as a registered pharmacy technician. She was pursuing a degree in public policy with a focus on climate issues at the time of the campaign.

Aeriol Alderking (People’s Party) is an Abbotsford resident and former Christian Heritage Party candidate who has served as Acting President of the Fraser Valley Conservancy and volunteered in addiction recovery programs.

About the Riding

Agriculture is the economic engine of Abbotsford—South Langley. The Abbotsford area generates the highest farm-gate receipts of any municipality in British Columbia, with berry cultivation, dairy farming, and poultry operations sustaining thousands of jobs and a network of processing and distribution businesses. The Agricultural Land Reserve protects much of the riding’s farmland from development, but growth pressures from the rapidly expanding Metro Vancouver region create persistent tension between agricultural preservation and housing demand.

The riding has experienced rapid population growth, particularly in the Aldergrove and Willoughby corridors of Langley Township, where new suburban developments have transformed formerly rural landscapes. This growth has strained local infrastructure, including roads, schools, and healthcare facilities. Housing affordability emerged as a central concern in the 2025 campaign, with young families increasingly unable to purchase homes in communities where they grew up.

The 2025 race was shaped by a contentious Conservative nomination. Michael de Jong, a veteran provincial politician with three decades of legislative experience, was denied the right to seek the nomination by the party’s national apparatus, despite unanimous endorsement from the local nomination committee. The party instead selected Gill, a young farmer with no prior political experience. De Jong subsequently entered the race as an independent, creating a three-way dynamic between the Conservatives, Liberals, and de Jong’s personal following that made the new riding one of the most closely watched contests in the Fraser Valley.