Liberal candidate Sukh Dhaliwal has been re-elected in Surrey-Newton, earning 45.1 per cent of the vote.
Dhaliwal defeated well known local radio host Harjit Singh Gill, who finished with 29.2 per cent of the vote as the NDP candidate. With more than 60 per cent of the riding identifying as South Asian, many thought Gill’s colleagues in the South Asian media would help him earn a win.
Harpreet Singh finished third for the Conservatives in his second straight election, while the Greens’ Rabaab Khehra finished a distant fourth place.
Dhaliwal’s political career has had some hits and some misses. The Liberal MP lost in 2004, won in 2006 and 2008, and lost in 2011 — only to come back and win four years ago.
Dhaliwal’s return to politics in 2015 came with an exclamation point. The Liberal candidate received 24,869 votes (55 per cent), defeating incumbent Jinny Sims handily. Sims, the NDP MP for the area, got just 11,604 votes (26.1 per cent).
Candidates
Liberal: Sukh Dhaliwal
Conservative: Harpreet Singh
NDP: Harjit Singh Gill
Green: Rabaab Khehra
People’s Party of Canada: Benjamin Sears
Geography
The riding is in the city of Surrey. It is defined by 88 Avenue to the north, 144 Street to the east, 56 Avenue to the south and 120 Street to the west.
Demographics
South Asian: 68,880, 60.7 per cent
European: 25,500, 22.5 per cent
Filipino: 5,405, 4.8 per cent
Chinese: 3,250, 2.9 per cent
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