Liberals win BC’s Capilano North Vancouver in federal election

Braeden Caley, a former political aide to Premier Mark Carney, will trade his staff cap for an MP lapel pin after winning British Columbia’s federal election in the North Vancouver-Capilano riding.

With more than 90 percent of polls reporting as of Monday evening, Caley was well ahead of the Conservative candidate, lawyer Stephen Curran, and Green Party representative Shelley Luce, a scientist and advocate.

Caley arrived at his election night party to deliver a victory speech just hours after polls closed, and told voters they chose partnership over division amid uncertainty caused by trade conflicts with the United States.

He said the election results are “an instruction to stand firm against these unfair tariffs,” while lowering costs for Canadians, building affordable homes, providing infrastructure and fighting climate change.

“Together with Mark Carney, we chose a plan to support Canadian workers and businesses and most importantly, build a strong Canada for all,” said Caley.

Carney sent his congratulations to Caley in a statement after the win was confirmed.

“I know Braeden’s values, his work ethic and his character,” he said. “I look forward to collaborating with him again to build a stronger British Columbia and a stronger Canada, for the benefit of everyone.”

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The election is considered a safe Liberal Party seat after former cabinet minister Jonathan Wilkinson won for the fourth time in the 2025 federal election.

Wilkinson resigned in June to become Canada’s ambassador to the European Union. Caley, meanwhile, left his role as Carney’s deputy chief of staff in Ottawa to campaign for the seat.

Elections were also held Monday in Beaches-East York in Toronto and in Chicoutimi—Le Fjord in Quebec — both wins by the Liberal Party.

In an interview before the votes were counted, Caley said he shared the prime minister’s vision of strengthening Canada’s independence and called the North Vancouver-Capilano crossing a key piece of the puzzle.

The longtime Liberal aide said he had been thinking about stepping down as Carney’s deputy chief of staff for weeks before announcing in July that he would step down, and said he was encouraged by the opportunities he saw in his career and his home province as a whole.

B.C. is critical to Canada’s economic future, Caley said, noting a third of the projects referred to Canada’s major projects office for fast-tracking are located in the province.

“There is an incredible opportunity now to build faster than we’re used to, but to do it in a way that enhances our conservation areas across the province, that opens up new horizons in partnership with First Nations… in a way that benefits everyone who lives in B.C.,” Caley said.

After a series of jobs in Ottawa over the past decade, Caley says moving back to BC full-time is exciting – at a time when Canada is reorienting its economy, investing in its own industries and moving exports away from the United States.

“Any success in this will depend on the success seen and felt at North Vancouver-Capilano,” he said, noting the port is Canada’s busiest port.

Workers want to “continue building,” Caley said, pointing to a resurgence in the workforce at Seaspan Shipyards in recent years.

The Liberal Party’s national poll results were buoyed by Carney’s decision to walk away from trade negotiations with Trump on August 21.

Elections Canada saw more than 16,000 people vote early in North Vancouver-Capilano between that day and the following Monday.

The Conservative candidate running, Curran, has emphasized his local roots.

Caley also says BC is at home.

Asked about the guidance of working with Carney, former prime minister Justin Trudeau and Gregor Robertson – a former Vancouver mayor who became federal housing minister – Caley said his biggest lesson was serving local needs.

“I remember when I was young, I had the choice to go to Ottawa or stay in BC, and I worked for six years in two different MPs’ constituency offices in BC, five of which were in the Opposition,” he said.

In those offices and in Robertson’s office as Mayor of Vancouver, Caley said he learned to adapt to the day-to-day concerns of constituents.

He said without proper efforts, the federal government will feel “very out of reach.”

Flanked by several B.C. lawmakers, including Robertson, on Monday, Caley told his supporters he knows how politics works, and that sometimes “it doesn’t work well enough for the people.

He said he would ensure the North Shore’s priorities were heard at the decision-making table.

The House of Commons reconvened on 21 September. More by-elections are expected in the coming months in Saskatchewan, Quebec and Ontario.

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