Burnaby - New Westminster

This riding encompasses Burnaby south of the Kingsway and between the east and west city limits, with North Arm and Annacis Channel forming the southern boundary. In the southeast, it also contains part of New Westminster.

The 2006 census found that 51 per cent of the riding's residents are immigrants. Twenty-six per cent of residents listed their ethnic origin as Chinese. Fifty-three per cent of the population have a mother tongue other than English or French, and 40 per cent of these speak Chinese.

This riding has a diverse economy, including retail trade, manufacturing and other services. The average family income is $69,905 and unemployment is 6.7 per cent.

Burnaby-New Westminster was created in 2004 by combining sections of New Westminster-Coquitlam-Burnaby and Vancouver South-Burnaby with a smaller portion of Burnaby-Douglas.

Population: 118,713 (2006 census; an increase of 6.9% since 2001)

Political History

New Democrat incumbent Peter Julian won a more comfortable election victory in 2006. Julian became the riding's new MP in 2004 when he defeated Liberal Mary Pynenburg by just 329 votes. In 2006, Julian beat Pynenburg by 4,001 votes.

In the former riding of New Westminster-Coquitlam-Burnaby, Paul Forseth won the previous three elections as a Reform/Canadian Alliance member.

In 1988, New Westminster-Burnaby riding was won by a New Democrat, Dawn Black. New Democrats Stuart Leggatt and Pauline Jewett represented this area for the NDP through most of the 1970s and 1980s.

Liberals had more success in Vancouver South-Burnaby, where Herb Dhaliwal held the seat for three terms from 1993. Dhaliwal served as the minister of revenue, fisheries and oceans, and natural resources. Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh won for the Liberals in the new Vancouver South riding in 2004

Burnaby-New Westminster:

• 2004, 2006 - NDP