Liberals flip longtime Conservative seat of South Surrey-White Rock

Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

The Liberals scored a large triumph successful Metro Vancouver during Monday's national election, with Ernie Klassen unseating Conservative incumbent Kerry-Lynne Findlay successful South Surrey-White Rock.

The suburban riding has been mostly held by Conservatives since it was formed successful 2015, and the South Surrey-White Rock country has been represented by right-of-centre MPs for overmuch of the past fewer decades. 

However, White Rock Coun. Ernie Klassen managed to triumph the spot handily for the Liberals connected Monday, with preliminary results showing a 50.5 per cent ballot stock compared to Findlay's 45.7 per cent.

Klassen says that deteriorating Canada-U.S. relations were the astir important origin successful his win, fixed that White Rock is simply a borderline community.

WATCH | Liberals people upset successful South Surrey-White Rock: 

But some Klassen and a erstwhile Tory MP for the riding accidental that Findlay's relation with her husband, Brent Chapman, a B.C. Conservative MLA whose 2017 conspiracy theories astir wide shootings were unearthed by a vigor big past year, apt played a relation successful the upset.

For his part, Klassen says helium hopes to absorption connected lodging affordability for seniors, nationalist information and the narration with the U.S. erstwhile helium gets to Ottawa.

"I judge that the full contented of the United States and its relationship, that has been breached fundamentally from what we person seen implicit hundreds of years with our neighbour — that decidedly was the overriding issue," helium told CBC News.

Findlay did not respond to CBC News' requests for remark connected this story.

Provincial predetermination drama

During the provincial predetermination run successful 2024, Chapman's 2015 Facebook posts  — wherever helium called Palestinian children "walking, talking, breathing clip bombs" — were besides dredged up.

Chapman aboriginal apologized for the societal media posts, and contempt galore calls to region him from the ballot, helium was elected provincially successful Surrey South.

WATCH | Chapman apologizes for racist posts: 

Findlay had held the spot for the Conservatives since the 2019 election, winning again successful 2021.

Former Surrey politician Dianne Watts, who held the spot from 2015 to 2017, said that the contention astir Chapman spilled implicit to Findlay and had an interaction connected her loss.

"Ernie Klassen ... he's a large assemblage leader. He is connected council. He's precise good known successful the riding," she told Gloria Macarenko, big of CBC's On The Coast.

"I've known Ernie for many, galore years, and I cognize he'll bash a bully occupation for the community, I person nary uncertainty successful my mind." 

LISTEN | Watts reflects connected predetermination results: 

Former White Rock politician Gordie Hogg was the MP from 2017 to 2019, the lone erstwhile clip the Liberals flipped the spot from the Conservatives. 

Some voters who spoke to CBC News besides said that Findlay whitethorn not person done capable to enactment up enactment successful what was considered a harmless Tory riding.

"I didn't spot precise galore tract signs for her," said Judd Anderson.

"I'm not definite if she did her enactment up of clip to prosecute people," said his wife, Claudia.

The Andersons said they judge that a Liberal number authorities whitethorn not last, and accidental the state could person an predetermination again wrong the adjacent year.