Vancouver Centre

Vancouver Centre is the most densely populated federal riding in western Canada, encompassing Vancouver's downtown core and surrounding inner-city neighbourhoods. The riding takes in the West End, Yaletown, Coal Harbour, the central business district, False Creek South, portions of eastern Kitsilano, and western Strathcona. Its residents live overwhelmingly in mid-rise and high-rise apartments, and the riding has one of the largest LGBTQ communities in Canada.

Candidates

Hedy Fry (Liberal) is the incumbent and Canada's longest-serving female Member of Parliament, first elected in 1993 when she defeated incumbent Prime Minister Kim Campbell. Born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, Fry received her medical training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and immigrated to Canada in 1970, practising medicine at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver for 23 years. She served as president of the BC Medical Association and held cabinet posts including Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Status of Women.

Elaine Allan (Conservative) has held executive leadership roles in the private and non-profit sectors, including serving as CEO of Skills Canada BC, where she promoted skilled trades careers. She has worked with organizations supporting vulnerable populations on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and spent time in Silicon Valley working on startups. A West End resident for over 20 years, she previously ran for the Conservatives in 2015.

Avi Lewis (NDP) is a journalist, filmmaker, and university professor. He hosted programs for CBC, Citytv, and Al Jazeera English, and co-directed the documentary films The Take and This Changes Everything with his wife, author Naomi Klein. He is an associate professor in UBC's geography department. Lewis co-authored the Leap Manifesto in 2015 and previously ran for the NDP in West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country in 2021.

Scott MacDonald (Green Party) is a physician who graduated from Dalhousie University's medical school. He has worked in primary care at Canadian Forces Base Halifax and in rural settings in northern Manitoba and Nunavut, and served as physician lead at Providence Health Care's Crosstown Clinic in Vancouver, focusing on substance use and drug policy research.

Christopher Varga (People's Party) and Drew William McPherson (Independent) also stood as candidates in the riding.

About the Riding

Vancouver Centre is the commercial and cultural heart of Metro Vancouver. The downtown core houses the headquarters of major resource companies, financial institutions, and professional services firms. The West End, one of the densest residential neighbourhoods in North America, is a mixed-income community of renters and condo owners, while Yaletown and Coal Harbour represent more recent waves of condominium development. The riding is linguistically diverse, with significant Mandarin, Persian, Spanish, and Korean-speaking populations alongside English and French.

The riding's economy is driven by professional services, technology, hospitality, tourism, and the arts. Its cultural institutions include the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Orpheum Theatre, and numerous smaller galleries and performance spaces. Stanley Park, English Bay Beach, and the Seawall are signature public spaces.

In 2025, housing affordability was the dominant concern. Median property values in the riding exceed $1.2 million, and rental vacancy rates remained extremely tight, putting pressure on younger residents, service workers, and seniors on fixed incomes. The opioid crisis and homelessness were visible throughout the riding, particularly in the eastern portions near the Downtown Eastside. Healthcare system strain, transit investment, and the cost of living shaped the campaign conversation in a riding where the gap between high-income professionals and low-income renters is particularly stark.