Chilliwack—Hope

Chilliwack—Hope occupies the eastern Fraser Valley, stretching from the city of Chilliwack northeast through the Fraser Canyon to Boston Bar. The riding takes in the District of Hope, Cultus Lake, Agassiz, and the surrounding rural and agricultural communities, as well as several First Nations reserves. Chilliwack, with an estimated population of about 107,000, is the riding’s urban centre—a rapidly growing city situated about 100 kilometres east of Vancouver. Roughly two-thirds of the city’s land falls within the Agricultural Land Reserve, and agriculture accounts for approximately 30 percent of the local economy.

Candidates

Mark Strahl (Conservative) has represented the Chilliwack area since 2011, when he succeeded his father, Chuck Strahl, who held the riding from 1993. In the House of Commons, Strahl has served as Chief Opposition Whip and held several shadow minister portfolios, including Transport.

Zeeshan Khan (Liberal) immigrated to Canada thirteen years ago with his wife and three children. Trained as an oral surgeon, Khan has worked as a child and youth care worker at Vedder Middle School and co-founded Streams Foundation Canada, a volunteer-based non-profit in Chilliwack. He holds a degree in non-profit management from Simon Fraser University and was named Champion of Diversity at the 2024 Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards.

Teri Westerby (NDP) is a former farmer, small business owner, and marketing professional who serves as a school trustee on the Chilliwack Board of Education. Elected to the board in 2022, Westerby became the first openly transgender man elected to public office in British Columbia.

Salina Derish (Green Party) is a sustainable entrepreneur who grew up in the Fraser Valley. She founded PickEco Refills in 2018—the Fraser Valley’s first zero-waste grocery store—and later created PickEco Compost. Before launching her business, she worked as a truck driver, corrections officer, and Canadian Army reservist.

Jeff Galbraith (People’s Party) ran on the PPC platform.

Christopher Adam (United Party of Canada) also stood as a candidate.

About the Riding

Chilliwack—Hope is defined by the tension between rapid suburban growth and its agricultural and rural heritage. Chilliwack has been one of the fastest-growing cities in British Columbia, attracting families priced out of Metro Vancouver’s housing market. This population surge has strained local infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, schools, and transportation corridors, while pressing against the agricultural land that gives the area its economic identity.

Agriculture remains central to the riding’s character. Dairy, berry, vegetable, and poultry operations fill the Fraser Valley floodplain, and the sector supports a significant processing and distribution network. The riding’s eastern reaches are dramatically different: Hope sits at the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla Rivers, serving as a gateway to the province’s interior highway system, and the Fraser Canyon communities beyond are remote, resource-dependent, and sparsely populated.

In 2025, affordability dominated the campaign. Housing costs, while lower than Metro Vancouver, had risen sharply, and healthcare access—particularly family physician availability and mental health services—was a persistent concern. The opioid crisis affected communities throughout the riding, from Chilliwack’s urban core to smaller towns along the Fraser Canyon. US tariff threats posed risks to the riding’s export-oriented agricultural sector, adding economic uncertainty to an already stretched local economy.