CanWest Party: a new party based in Richmond
CanWest Party registered with Elections BC in February 2026, and the register names Wei Ping Chen as its leader. Lawrence Chen is on Elections BC's candidate list for the party in Richmond Centre. Its website lists short goals with no costs or dates.
WHO THEY ARE
About CanWest Party
CanWest Party is a provincial political party registered with Elections BC. Its registration took effect on 4 February 2026. Its name on the ballot is CWP, and Elections BC's register names Wei Ping Chen as its leader.
Elections BC's candidate list for the 2026 provincial general election names Lawrence Chen as the CanWest Party candidate in Richmond Centre. Nominations stay open until 1 p.m. on 3 October 2026.
The party says its platform is to develop the economy, promote community safety, build good relations between neighbours, ensure equality among all races, keep taxes low and create a better environment. Its website states these goals in one or two sentences each, with no costs, dates or named laws.
Sing Tao Daily reported that Wei Ping Chen and three other people announced the party on Sunday 29 March 2026, and that the party said its first goal was the Richmond city election in October 2026. The City of Richmond's list of local candidates, declared on 11 September 2026, has no candidate running for CanWest Party.
The website that carries the party's name is www.canada2.net. It opens only without the secure "https" prefix, so voche.me links to copies saved in the Internet Archive on 30 September 2026. On that date the home page still said the next provincial election would be in autumn 2028. Two of its pages carry the heading "People's Party of British Columbia". Its contact page names Lawrence Chen as president, and its news conference page names Wei Ping Chen as president. The site's mailing address is the same one Elections BC's register gives for the party.
THE TEN ISSUES
Where CanWest Party stands
Every party on this site is covered on the same eleven issues, so nothing is hidden by leaving a subject out. 6 of 11 have published policy behind them.
| Issue | Published position | Commitments |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | Nothing published, checked September 30, 2026 | — |
| Health care | CanWest Party says it would improve medical services and shorten the time patients wait. | 1 |
| Cost of living | Nothing published, checked September 30, 2026 | — |
| Public safety | CanWest Party says it would strengthen public security and opposes drugs coming into communities. | 2 |
| Economy | CanWest Party says it would help local businesses invest and create jobs, and that economic policy should follow market demand. | 2 |
| Education | CanWest Party says it would improve the education system and moral education. | 1 |
| Climate | CanWest Party says it would strengthen environmental protection and make neighbourhoods more beautiful. | 2 |
| Reconciliation | Nothing published, checked September 30, 2026 | — |
| Transportation | Nothing published, checked September 30, 2026 | — |
| Taxes and budget | CanWest Party lists low tax among its platform points. | 1 |
| Governance | Nothing published, checked September 30, 2026 | — |
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
6 questions about CanWest Party
Who leads CanWest Party?
Elections BC's register names Wei Ping Chen as leader. The party's news conference page names him as president, and its contact page names Lawrence Chen as president. Sing Tao Daily reported that Wei Ping Chen founded another party in 2007 and has run in provincial and city elections at least six times without winning.
Elections BCCanWest PartyCanWest PartySing Tao Daily (Canada)
Who is running for CanWest Party?
Elections BC's candidate list names Lawrence Chen as the party's candidate in Richmond Centre. Nominations close at 1 p.m. on 3 October 2026, so the list can still change.
What does CanWest Party stand for?
The party says it would develop the economy, strengthen community safety and keep drugs out of communities, shorten medical waits, improve education, protect the environment, keep taxes low and support equality among all races. It gives no costs, dates or named laws for these goals.
When was CanWest Party founded?
Its registration with Elections BC took effect on 4 February 2026. Sing Tao Daily reported that the founders announced the party at a news conference on 29 March 2026.
Is CanWest Party running in the Richmond city election?
In March 2026 the founders said Wei Ping Chen would run for mayor of Richmond. The City of Richmond's list of candidates, declared on 11 September 2026, has no candidate running for CanWest Party, and Chen is absent from the list for mayor.
Where can I see CanWest Party's finances?
Search Elections BC's Financial Reports and Political Contributions System. On 30 September 2026 it held no report from CanWest Party.
Sources
A source marked SAYS SO ITSELF is the party's own material. It proves what the party claims, not that the claim is true.
- Registered political parties in British Columbia Elections BC · checked
- Provincial candidate list, 2026 provincial general election Elections BC · checked
- British Columbia Gazette, notice of registration of CanWest Party King's Printer for British Columbia · published · checked
- Political party names used in the last 10 years Elections BC · checked
- Current party standings, 43rd Parliament Legislative Assembly of British Columbia · checked
- Provincial financial reports search for the name CanWest Elections BC · checked
- Provincial electoral finance questions and answers Elections BC · checked
- CanWest Party home page (copy saved 2026-09-30) SAYS SO ITSELFCanWest Party · checked
- CanWest Party mission page (copy saved 2026-09-30) SAYS SO ITSELFCanWest Party · checked
- CanWest Party statement from its 29 March 2026 news conference, in Chinese (copy saved 2026-09-30) SAYS SO ITSELFCanWest Party · checked
- CanWest Party contact page (copy saved 2026-09-30) SAYS SO ITSELFCanWest Party · checked
- CanWest Party donation page (copy saved 2026-09-30) SAYS SO ITSELFCanWest Party · checked
- CanWest Party membership page (copy saved 2026-09-30) SAYS SO ITSELFCanWest Party · checked
- Sing Tao Daily: Richmond Chinese residents announce a new party Sing Tao Daily (Canada) · published · checked
- City of Richmond declaration of candidates, 2026 local election City of Richmond · published · checked
Compare CanWest Party with the other nine parties
Every party is covered on the same eleven issues. The comparison pages put them side by side, one issue at a time, with the source next to each position.