New Westminster—Burnaby—Maillardville

New Westminster—Burnaby—Maillardville is a newly configured urban riding in Metro Vancouver created under the 2022 redistribution. It encompasses the entire City of New Westminster, the southeastern portion of Burnaby—bounded roughly by 10th Avenue, Canada Way, and Highway 1—and the historic Maillardville neighbourhood in Coquitlam, which was drawn from the former Port Moody—Coquitlam riding. New Westminster, British Columbia's original capital, sits at the confluence of the Brunette and Fraser rivers, and the riding's compact urban geography includes dense residential neighbourhoods, SkyTrain corridors, and a mix of heritage homes and high-rise development.

Candidates

Jake Sawatzky (Liberal) was born in 2000 in Surrey, British Columbia. Named after his grandfather, a Mennonite refugee who fled Stalinist Ukraine, Sawatzky earned a bachelor of science in neuroscience from the University of British Columbia and was pursuing a master's degree in counselling psychology at Trinity Western University at the time of his candidacy. His campaign focused on housing, mental health, and the cost of living.

Peter Julian (NDP) has represented New Westminster in the House of Commons since 2004, making him one of the longest-serving NDP MPs in British Columbia. Born and raised in New Westminster, where his family has lived for four generations, Julian worked in financial administration and led the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing before entering politics. He has served as NDP House Leader, Finance Critic, and as a prominent advocate for disability rights and affordable housing.

Indy Panchi (Conservative) was born and raised in Birmingham, England, and moved to Burnaby in 1999. A New Westminster resident, he focused his campaign on public safety, housing affordability, and reducing government spending.

Tara Shushtarian (Green Party) has lived in Canada for over two decades and serves on Burnaby's Environmental Committee. She co-chairs the West Coast Climate Action Network and has worked with environmental and social justice organizations across Burnaby and the Tri-Cities.

Lourence Almonte Singh (Independent) was originally nominated as the Conservative candidate for the riding but was removed by the party over past podcast comments, and ran as an independent.

About the Riding

New Westminster—Burnaby—Maillardville is one of the most densely populated ridings in the Lower Mainland. New Westminster's waterfront and downtown have undergone significant redevelopment, with residential tower construction transforming the skyline along the Fraser River. The city is a major SkyTrain hub, with the Expo and Millennium lines intersecting here, and transit-oriented development has reshaped neighbourhood character.

Maillardville, founded by Québécois millworkers in 1909, is the oldest francophone community in western Canada and retains a distinct cultural identity. The neighbourhood's Franco-Columbian heritage is celebrated through local institutions and annual festivals, though demographic change has diversified the area considerably.

Housing affordability was the central issue in the 2025 campaign. Rents in New Westminster climbed steeply in the years preceding the election, and the displacement of long-term renters by redevelopment was a flashpoint for community activism. Health-care access, transit expansion, and the cost of living were closely related concerns. The riding's redistribution—combining communities that had not previously shared a federal MP—added a layer of complexity, as candidates sought to build coalitions across distinct neighbourhood identities.