Fleetwood—Port Kells

Fleetwood—Port Kells covers the northeastern portion of the City of Surrey in Metro Vancouver, stretching from the Fraser River in the north to the Serpentine River and 68th Avenue in the south, and from 144th Street in the west to Surrey’s eastern boundary. The riding takes in the communities of Fleetwood, East Newton, Guildford, Port Kells, and North Clayton, as well as Barnston Island in the Fraser River. Under the 2022 redistribution, Fraser Heights was moved out of the riding into the new Langley Township—Fraser Heights constituency. The riding is one of the most ethnically diverse in British Columbia, with approximately half of residents born outside Canada, and Punjabi, Mandarin, and Tagalog among the most commonly spoken non-official languages.

Candidates

Gurbux Saini (Liberal) arrived in Canada from India in 1970 and worked as a lumber piler before rising to become a plant manager. He later started his own trucking company in 2000, growing it to employ over 80 workers, and expanded into construction and land development. Saini served as a city councillor in Williams Lake for 14 years and previously ran for the Liberals in Cariboo–Prince George in 2004. At 74, he entered the 2025 race as the acclaimed Liberal candidate.

Sukh Pandher (Conservative) grew up in Punjab, India, and moved to Canada with his family in 1992, settling in Surrey. He started a trucking company in 2000 that has grown to employ over 80 Canadians, and later expanded into construction and land development. Pandher has spent over 30 years volunteering in the Surrey community.

Shannon Permal (NDP) is a 26-year-old community advocate born and raised in Surrey. An Indo-Fijian Canadian, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Simon Fraser University and has worked in BC Public Service roles in court services and community corrections. Permal serves as chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Fiji Organizations and has received multiple awards for her community service.

John Hetherington (People’s Party) ran on a platform emphasizing reduced immigration and fiscal restraint.

Murali Krishnan (Green Party) stood as the Green Party candidate, advocating for environmental sustainability and transit investment.

About the Riding

Fleetwood—Port Kells sits at the intersection of Surrey’s suburban growth and its agricultural heritage. The southern and eastern portions of the riding retain pockets of farmland and rural character, particularly around Port Kells and the Serpentine River floodplain, while the northern and western sections are densely developed with residential subdivisions, townhouse complexes, and commercial strips along corridors such as Fraser Highway and 152nd Street.

Surrey is British Columbia’s second-largest city and one of the fastest growing in Canada, and Fleetwood—Port Kells reflects both the opportunities and pressures of that growth. The riding’s diverse immigrant population has shaped its commercial landscape, with South Asian businesses, restaurants, and cultural institutions particularly prominent along the Fraser Highway corridor. Gurdwaras and community organizations serve as important social anchors.

In 2025, housing affordability was a dominant concern, with many residents—particularly younger families—struggling to enter the housing market despite dual incomes. Transit infrastructure was another key issue, as the planned Surrey–Langley SkyTrain extension promised to reshape the riding’s connectivity to the broader Metro Vancouver transit network. Public safety and gang violence, longstanding concerns in parts of Surrey, remained on the agenda, as did the cost of groceries and everyday essentials for the riding’s many working-class and middle-class households.