VICTORIA — Seven sitting BC NDP MLAs have announced that they will seek re-election in the 2026 British Columbia provincial election, including four representatives from Surrey.
The candidates are Garry Begg in Surrey-Guildford, Jagrup Brar in Surrey-Fleetwood, Dana Lajeunesse in Juan de Fuca-Malahat, Randene Neill in Powell River-Sunshine Coast, Amna Shah in Surrey-City Centre, Jessie Sunner in Surrey-Newton and Debra Toporowski in Cowichan Valley.
The announcement gives voters a clearer picture of several of the BC NDP’s incumbent candidates as the 2026 election campaign develops.
The seven MLAs have different backgrounds, ranging from policing and journalism to law, community service, municipal government, business development and Indigenous governance.
The BC NDP is presenting their re-election campaigns against the backdrop of trade tensions with the United States, economic uncertainty and debates over healthcare, housing, public safety, infrastructure and affordability.
Party Leader David Eby said the candidates would continue working with his government in response to what the party describes as an escalating trade war.
Eby also used the announcement to criticize the B.C. Conservatives over their positions on U.S. trade relations, liquor policy and government spending. Those statements are BC NDP campaign claims and are presented as such.
Four Surrey incumbents seeking another term
Garry Begg — Surrey-Guildford
Garry Begg has represented Surrey-Guildford since 2017 and is seeking another term in the rapidly growing Surrey riding.
Before entering provincial politics, Begg spent more than 38 years with the RCMP, including the final eight years of his policing career in Surrey. His previous roles included District Commander, Watch Commander and Operations Support Officer.
He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Surrey Infrastructure in July 2025 and has also served as Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Government Whip.
In his campaign statement, Begg focused heavily on Surrey’s growth and public safety.
He said his priorities include continued investment in policing, community services, healthcare and transportation infrastructure.
Begg’s background in law enforcement gives his campaign a particular emphasis on public safety, while his current parliamentary role has focused on infrastructure issues affecting Surrey.
Jagrup Brar — Surrey-Fleetwood
Jagrup Brar — Surrey-Fleetwood
Jagrup Brar is seeking re-election in Surrey-Fleetwood, where he has served since 2017.
Brar’s political career in B.C. stretches back further. He was first elected as an MLA in 2004, representing Surrey-Panorama Ridge, and remained in the legislature until 2013. He returned to provincial politics in 2017 as the MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood.
He currently serves as Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals, having previously served as Minister of State for Trade.
According to the supplied biography, Brar was born in India and was a member of the Indian National Basketball team before moving to Canada. He earned a master’s degree in Philosophy and later studied Public Administration in Canada, receiving a Master of Public Administration.
Before returning to elected politics, Brar spent more than a decade working in the public and non-profit sectors. He also served as executive director of the Surrey Self Employment and Entrepreneur Development Society, where he worked with entrepreneurs and small businesses.
His campaign statement emphasizes economic development, job creation and efforts to expand B.C.’s markets beyond the United States.
Amna Shah — Surrey-City Centre
Amna Shah is seeking another term in Surrey-City Centre, where she was first elected in 2024.
After entering the legislature, Shah was appointed Deputy Government Whip and Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health and Addictions and Anti-Racism Initiatives.
Her background includes community and housing-related work.
According to the party biography, Shah volunteered with the Surrey Food Bank and later served on its board of directors. Her interest in housing also led to work with B.C.’s Ministry of Housing, where she was involved with affordable housing policies and projects.
Shah has lived in Surrey for nearly two decades.
In her re-election statement, she pointed to affordable housing, family supports and economic security as issues she intends to continue addressing.
Her campaign is therefore closely connected to issues affecting a rapidly growing urban constituency where housing affordability and community services remain prominent political subjects.
Jessie Sunner — Surrey-Newton
Jessie Sunner is running again in Surrey-Newton, a riding she has represented since being elected in 2024.
Sunner currently serves as Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.
Her provincial responsibilities have included post-secondary education, apprenticeships and workforce development. The BC NDP biography also points to investments in Surrey, including a new SFU medical school, the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension, additional student spaces and infrastructure.
Before entering provincial politics, Sunner worked as a labour and human rights lawyer and trade unionist.
Her campaign statement emphasizes workers and the cost pressures facing residents of Surrey-Newton.
The riding has also been a focus of broader discussions around Surrey’s rapid population growth, transportation infrastructure, education capacity and public investment.
Three other incumbents also seeking re-election
Dana Lajeunesse — Juan de Fuca-Malahat
Dana Lajeunesse was elected MLA for Juan de Fuca-Malahat in 2024.
He previously served on Sooke Council from 2019 to 2024 and was active with the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor’s Advisory Panel on Economic Development.
Lajeunesse later served as Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility, working on accessibility and inclusion issues in B.C.
His professional background is in mechanical engineering. The supplied biography says a life-altering injury ended his path in the forestry industry, after which he returned to school and earned a diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Camosun College.
He subsequently built a 24-year career in the field.
For the upcoming campaign, Lajeunesse is highlighting healthcare access, transportation, affordability and support for local businesses and workers.
Randene Neill is seeking another term in Powell River-Sunshine Coast after first being elected in 2024.
Randene Neill — Powell River-Sunshine Coast
She currently serves as Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.
Neill entered politics following a long career in journalism. She spent nearly 20 years with Global BC, where she reported and anchored several news programs, including the Noon Newshour, Newshour Final and weekend editions of the Newshour.
She has also worked as a communications specialist with the B.C. Parks Foundation and the new St. Paul’s Hospital.
Her campaign statement places particular emphasis on environmental protection and what she describes as building a more resilient B.C.
Her background gives her campaign a combination of provincial cabinet experience and a lengthy career in broadcast journalism.
Debra Toporowski is seeking re-election in Cowichan Valley, where she was first elected in 2024.
Debra Toporowski — Cowichan Valley
She currently serves as Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health.
Toporowski’s political experience predates her election to the legislature. According to the supplied biography, she served two terms as an elected councillor in the Municipality of North Cowichan and five times as a councillor with Cowichan Tribes.
The biography describes her as a member of the Cowichan Nation and notes that she was the first elected woman to simultaneously hold positions on both councils.
Her campaign is emphasizing healthcare, housing affordability and the cost of living, while also focusing on the economic effects of U.S.-Canada trade tensions.
A diverse set of political backgrounds
Taken together, the seven candidates bring a range of professional and political backgrounds to the 2026 campaign.
Begg comes from a policing and public-safety background, Brar from public service, entrepreneurship and provincial politics, Lajeunesse from municipal government and engineering, Neill from journalism and communications, Shah from community service and housing policy, Sunner from labour and human rights law, and Toporowski from municipal and Indigenous governance.
Four of the seven candidates represent Surrey ridings, reflecting the city’s significant presence in the current BC NDP caucus.
The candidates are campaigning on different local priorities, but their statements share several themes: healthcare, affordability, housing, infrastructure, jobs and economic uncertainty.
The BC NDP is also positioning the upcoming election around the province’s response to U.S. trade policy. Eby’s comments and the candidates’ statements repeatedly reference the impact of the trade dispute on workers and businesses.
As the 2026 campaign progresses, these candidates will face their respective challengers in ridings with different demographic, economic and political dynamics.
StudioX News | September 24, 2026
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving diaspora communities across 44 languages. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
