BC NDP MLA for Surrey-Guildford since 2017 and former Minister of Public Safety, running again.
Garry Begg has held Surrey-Guildford for the BC NDP since 2017 and won it in 2024 by 22 votes. He was Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General from November 2024 to July 2025, and is now Parliamentary Secretary for Surrey Infrastructure. In the legislature in 2026 he spoke for the budget, for safe access zones around schools and places of worship, and for Bill 16, which lowers the 2035 target for zero-emission car sales.
A researched record of Garry Begg's 18 commitments, 12 recorded votes and 11 public statements, with 5 news items. Most come from what he said in the legislature in 2026.
On dates without a confirmed appearance the public schedule is unknown; the candidate may still have activities that day. This static page changes only when its research is updated.
01 / Introduction
About Garry Begg
Garry Begg is the BC NDP candidate in Surrey-Guildford on Elections BC's list for the general election of October 24, 2026. On the copy of the list stamped October 1, 2026 10:00:06 PM, the other accepted candidates in the district are Jodi Murphy of the BC Green Party and Garry Thind of the Conservative Party. Nominations close at 1 p.m. on October 3, 2026.
Elections BC's results show that he won Surrey-Guildford in 2017 with 9,263 votes (49.85%), ahead of the sitting BC Liberal member Amrik Virk, and again in 2020 with 10,403 votes (60.59%). In 2024 he won with 8,947 votes (46.93%) to 8,925 (46.81%) for Conservative Honveer Singh Randhawa. CBC News reported that a judge confirmed the 22-vote result in a recount.
The legislature record lists him as Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General from November 18, 2024 to July 17, 2025. A government release of July 17, 2025 moved him to the role of Parliamentary Secretary for Surrey Infrastructure, which the legislature's member biography gives as his current role. The Indo-Canadian Voice reported in October 2025 that he was chosen as chair of the BC NDP caucus.
The legislature's member biography says he served in the RCMP for more than 38 years, the last eight in Surrey. In the legislature in 2026 he spoke for Budget 2026, for Bills 12 and 13 on safe access to schools and places of worship, for Bill 16, and against a Conservative bill to ban project labour agreements. In February 2026 the Province named him to a community group that advises the B.C. Extortion Task Force, the Surrey Now-Leader reported.
Published positions and selected commitments, separated by election cycle. Status labels describe the evidence reviewed, not a numerical score or a complete audit of the platform. Council approval is different from delivery.
18 commitments shown · Checked Oct 1
2026 · GovernanceCampaign pledge
Reduce the deficit by shrinking the public sector
In the budget debate on February 23, 2026, Begg spoke for Budget 2026. He said it protects health care and education, keeps taxes low for working families, and reduces the deficit over time. He said it cuts the wider public sector workforce by 15,000 full-time positions over the three-year plan, with $3.5 billion in savings.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He gives a number of positions, a savings figure and a three-year period. These are the government's budget figures, repeated by him.
What still needs checking
How many public sector positions were cut by the end of the plan?
In the same speech, Begg said Budget 2026 adds $2.8 billion for health care over three years, including $131 million for mental health and addictions treatment and $185 million for seniors care.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He gives the amounts and the three-year period from the budget. He gives no count of beds, staff or patients.
What still needs checking
Do the budget lines he named appear in the spending reports for 2026-27?
Continue the new Surrey hospital and cancer centre
Begg told the legislature that work on the new hospital in Surrey will continue, along with the B.C. Cancer centre and projects at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He gives no cost, number of beds or opening date.
What still needs checking
When is the new Surrey hospital scheduled to open?
In the budget speech, Begg said school additions already being paid for in Surrey, at Fleetwood Park Secondary and Clayton Heights Secondary, continue over the next three years. A government release of January 29, 2026 quotes him saying that schools must grow as Surrey grows.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He names the projects and a three-year period. He gives no cost of his own and no number of seats in his own words.
What still needs checking
Do the Fleetwood Park and Clayton Heights additions open on schedule?
In the debate on March 30, 2026, Begg spoke for Bill 12, which extends the 2023 law on safe access to schools to July 1, 2028, so students, staff and parents can enter schools without being blocked.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He names the bill and the end date. He gives no cost. The vote index records him voting Yea at third reading.
Protect access to places of worship, with police judgment
In the same debate, Begg spoke for Bill 13, which sets protected zones around places of worship such as gurdwaras, temples, synagogues, mosques and churches. He said police should use their own judgment about when to act in those zones.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He gives no cost, number or date.
What still needs checking
Was Bill 13 passed, and how often have police acted in the zones?
Campaign statement on crime, health care and transportation in Surrey
A Surrey Now-Leader report of September 24, 2026 quotes a news release from Begg saying the BC NDP has a plan to tackle crime, improve health care and meet transportation needs in Surrey and south of the Fraser River.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The quoted line names no project, cost or date.
What still needs checking
Does Begg name a transportation project for Surrey during the campaign?
Keep project labour agreements on public construction
In the debate on Bill M233 on April 13, 2026, Begg spoke against the Conservative bill. He said it would stop the Province from requiring local hiring through project labour agreements on public projects such as the Pattullo Bridge replacement and the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. He said Budget 2026 "invests nearly $38 billion in capital projects", which the government estimates will create 130,000 jobs over three years.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He gives the capital amount, a job estimate and a three-year period, all from the budget.
What still needs checking
How many jobs did the capital plan create by 2029?
Allow lower development charges on more kinds of housing
In the debate on Bill 16 on April 20, 2026, Begg spoke for a change that lets the Province name more kinds of projects for which cities and TransLink may cut or drop the charges builders pay for local services. He said lower upfront costs can help get homes built.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He gives no number of homes, cost or date.
What still needs checking
Did the Province use the new power to name more kinds of housing?
In the same debate, Begg spoke for the part of Bill 16 that lowers the 2035 sales target for zero-emission vehicles from 100 percent to 75 percent of new sales, and removes the ban on selling new gas and diesel cars from January 1, 2035. He said the change responds to the market and matches the federal government's goals.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He gives the new target and the year. He gives no cost.
Set a 60-day limit for judicial reviews and protect cabinet papers
In the same debate, Begg spoke for the changes to the Judicial Review Procedure Act. He said they set a 60-day deadline to ask a court to review most government decisions and protect cabinet records during court challenges.
Help with costs for lower-income people and families
In the budget speech, Begg said the government is helping with costs through new measures and targeted support for people with lower incomes and families with children. He named the B.C. family benefit, child care and car insurance rates as examples.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He names no new measure, amount or date of his own.
What still needs checking
Does Begg name a cost of living measure during the campaign?
A BC NDP release of October 1, 2026, issued in Surrey, says David Eby will suspend 10 cents per litre of the provincial motor fuel tax and let the BC Utilities Commission cap fuel company margins. The release does not name Begg.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text. voche.me found no statement by Begg on this plan on 2026-10-01.
What still needs checking
Does Begg speak on the gas tax plan during the campaign?
The BC NDP platform page says the government hired more than 1,400 family doctors and opened the medical school at Simon Fraser University in Surrey. The page does not name Begg.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text.
What still needs checking
Does Begg speak on doctors or the Surrey hospital during the campaign?
The BC NDP platform page describes the BC Extortion Task Force and says more than 90 charges have been laid. His campaign page repeats the party heading on safe communities. Neither page gives a measure in his name.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text.
What still needs checking
Does Begg state a public safety measure during the campaign?
The BC NDP platform page says the party aims for $200 billion in major project investment by 2035 and will double skilled trades training by 2028-29. The page does not name Begg.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text.
What still needs checking
Does Begg name a jobs measure for the district during the campaign?
Recorded votes where the legislature's vote index names him, and actions that government releases tie to him by name. A vote shows how he voted; it does not show why.
Recorded vote
Voted for the 2026 budget motion
The vote index records Begg voting Yea on the budget motion.
Scope, limits and sources
The vote index records each member's name on a standing vote. The transcript of this vote was not opened.
The vote index records Begg voting Yea at second reading and at third reading, and Nay on an amendment moved by a Conservative member at second reading.
Scope, limits and sources
The vote index records each member's name on a standing vote. The transcript of this vote was not opened.
Announced $7.5 million in community safety grants as minister
As Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Begg was quoted in the release announcing $7.5 million in grants from seized criminal assets for 166 community projects in 2025.
Scope, limits and sources
The release is from his ministry and quotes him by name.
Funded an extortion awareness campaign as minister
The release says the Province gave BC Crime Stoppers $100,000 for a 60-day campaign in English and Punjabi asking people to report extortion threats. It quotes Begg as minister.
Scope, limits and sources
The release is from his ministry and quotes him by name. The money came with support from a federal fund, the release says.
A government release on the opening of École Snokomish Elementary (655 seats) and an addition at Tamanawis Secondary (575 seats) quotes Begg as Parliamentary Secretary for Surrey Infrastructure.
Scope, limits and sources
The schools were paid for by the Province and the Surrey School District. The release quotes Begg; it does not say what his own part in the projects was.
Announcement of the Clayton Heights Secondary expansion
A Ministry of Infrastructure release on an $88.8 million addition of 1,000 seats at Clayton Heights Secondary quotes Begg as Parliamentary Secretary for Surrey Infrastructure.
Scope, limits and sources
An announcement of a project. voche.me did not check whether the work is finished.
Read original statements and reporting, or open the publisher’s video. A summary of a speech is labelled separately from a full recording.
Speech
Budget debate speech
Begg spoke for Budget 2026: health care funding, a smaller public sector, school additions in Surrey, the new Surrey hospital and the medical school at Simon Fraser University in Surrey.
Bill 16, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2026
Begg explained each part of the bill: the University Endowment Lands, development charges, tenancy rules, corrections, judicial review, fuel price oversight and the zero-emission vehicle target.
Records are labelled by type, including official findings, civil proceedings and political disputes where applicable. Each entry identifies the response found in the sources and the latest status verified for this page.
Policy dispute
Opposition criticism of his remarks at a Surrey public safety forum
The Indo-Canadian Voice reported on June 17, 2025 that Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko, then the opposition critic for public safety, said Begg blamed the community at a Surrey public safety forum for not coming forward about extortion crimes.
Candidate or party response
The report carries no reply from Begg, and it does not quote his remarks at the forum. voche.me did not find a recording or transcript of the forum.
Verified status and limits
A political dispute between members. voche.me found no ruling or official finding.
A dated reading list from independent publishers. The headings below are voche.me summaries; follow each link for the original article, context and any corrections.
Reporting
CBC News
Judicial recount confirms Begg's 22-vote win
Reports that a B.C. Supreme Court justice declared Begg elected after the recount, with 8,947 votes to 8,925 for the Conservative candidate.
Sources checked October 1, 2026. Official records establish decisions; campaign material establishes stated positions; reporting adds investigation and context. None alone establishes every claim.
His campaign page holds a short biography and the party's headings, with no measure of his own, and its events box listed no event. His MLA website, garrybeggmla.ca, and his BC NDP caucus page answered HTTP 503 with a notice that the legislature is dissolved. His X account showed only its profile line to a direct read, and his Facebook page showed only his name, so nothing from them is used. His career of more than 38 years in the RCMP, ending in Surrey as a district commander, watch commander and operations support officer, is stated in the legislature's member biography, on the government's page and on his campaign page. voche.me did not check it with the RCMP. voche.me found no city council or police board role in his record on 2026-10-01, so no minutes were searched. His role as BC NDP caucus chair comes from an Indo-Canadian Voice report of October 2, 2025 and was not checked with the caucus. His earlier role as Government Whip comes from the legislature's member biography for the 41st Parliament and his campaign page; voche.me found no start or end date. The government page for his parliamentary secretary role was last updated on July 18, 2025. The legislature record and the page both describe the role as current; voche.me did not find a record of when it ends. His time as Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General was reviewed only through three ministry releases from 2025. His 2025 speeches and the 2025 estimates debates were not read. The Indo-Canadian Voice report of June 2025 on Elenore Sturko's criticism does not quote his words at the forum, and voche.me found no recording or transcript of it. Votes are taken from the 2026 vote index; the transcripts of those votes were not opened. Figures he gave in debate, such as the jobs estimate for capital projects and the savings in Budget 2026, are the government's figures and were not checked against budget documents. Wikipedia and two profile sites seen in search results were not used. No 2026 all-candidates meeting in Surrey-Guildford was found on 2026-10-01. Nominations close October 3, 2026, so other candidates may still be added. Campaign finances and endorsements were not reviewed. The questionnaire has not been sent.
Research status
What voche.me has checked
Evidence reviewed on 2026-10-01: the Elections BC candidate list and the statements of votes for 2017, 2020 and 2024, the legislature's member data for him, the 2026 speech and vote indexes, the 10 transcripts from 2026 where he spoke, government pages and releases from 2025 and 2026 that name him, his campaign page, the BC NDP candidate list, platform and releases, and news reports from 2024 to 2026.
His commitments on this page come mostly from what he said in the legislature in 2026. The campaign page states no measure of his own. Sections with no entry record that voche.me found nothing on this date.
Named in the government release of July 17, 2025, to support the Minister of Infrastructure. The legislature's member biography gives it as his current role.
More than 38 years of service, the last eight in Surrey, according to the legislature's member biography and the government's page. voche.me did not check it with the RCMP.
Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
No questions and answers have been supplied.
Have your own question?
Ask Garry Begg directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
05 / About this page
Questions about this page
Facts voche.me can state about Garry Begg's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Is this an official page for Garry Begg?
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Garry Begg's own campaign.
What party is Garry Begg running with?
Garry Begg is running for MLA with BC NDP.
Does Garry Begg currently hold public office?
Yes. Garry Begg currently serves as Parliamentary Secretary for Surrey Infrastructure; MLA for Surrey-Guildford.
How many sources does this Garry Begg profile cite?
This profile lists 5 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Why do some questions on Garry Begg's page show no answer?
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Garry Begg in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
When is the election Garry Begg is running in?
The 2026 British Columbia election, including the MLA race, is decided on October 24, 2026.
06 / Candidate contributions
Space for campaign updates
No campaign updates yet
Announcements, event details and messages can be added here, with their source and publication date. No campaign submission has been added.
