The final outcome of B.C.’s “spandex tight” provincial election remains unclear, but one fact appears clear: the BC NDP lost major ground in the Lower Mainland in Saturday’s provincial election.
The NDP’s dominance in the region was a key storyline of the 2020 election when the party won a commanding majority with 57 seats.
That win saw the party break through in parts of the Lower Mainland it had historically been shut out of. More than half of those seats, 31, were in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
This time, it was the BC Conservatives that saw a surge in the region, flipping or leading in multiple NDP ridings, including many of the New Democrats’ historic 2020 gains.
While the NDP bent in Metro Vancouver, it didn’t break — holding onto key seats in central and northern Metro Vancouver.
With the exception of traditional right-leaning strongholds Vancouver-Quilchena and West Vancouver-Capilano, the Conservatives were shut out of Vancouver and the North Shore.
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The NDP also picked up Vancouver-Langara, which was held by BC United before it collapsed, along with the new seat of Vancouver-South Granville.
But in the southern and eastern parts of the region, John Rustad’s party made big gains.
Based on elected and leading results at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night, the NDP’s gains in Richmond in the 2020 election were almost completely erased, with the New Democrats left holding only Richmond-Queensborough.
The BC Conservatives also made major gains in Surrey and Langley.
NDP Education Minister Rachna Singh was unseated in her riding of Surrey North by the Conservatives’ Mandeep Dhaliwal.
High-profile BC Conservative candidate Elenore Sturko was on track to knock off NDP incumbent Mike Starchuck in Surrey-Cloverdale, Honveer Randhawa was on track to defeat NDP incumbent Gary Begg in Surrey-Guildford, and Bryan Tepper defeated incumbent and veteran New Democrat Jinny Sims in Surrey Panorama.
Former Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner also snapped up the new riding of Surrey-Serpentine River.
Rustad’s Conservatives swept Langley’s three seats, picking up the new riding of Langley-Abbotsford, and flipping both Langley-Walnut Grove and Langley-Willowbrook from the NDP.
John Rustad’s party also swept the entirety of the Fraser Valley, a region that has traditionally been fertile ground for right-leaning parties, but where the NDP made key gains in 2020.
Conservative Lawrence Mok appeared on track to unseat New Democrat Bob D’Eith in Maple Ridge East, though the NDP hung on to hold Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows.
Reann Gasper unseated NDP agriculture minister Pam Alexis in Abbotsford-Mission, A’aliya Warbus unseated the NDP’s Kelli Paddon in Chilliwack-Cultus Lake, and Heather Maahs defeated New Democrat Dan Coulter.
The Conservatives also snapped up the new riding of Langley-Abbotsford.
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