British ColumbiaThe two biggest political brands in Canadian politics are trying to take over Vancouver city hall — sort of. New parties aren’t affiliated with their federal counterparts, but hope name recognition will helpJustin McElroy · CBC News · Posted: Oct 28, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesKareem Allam, mayoral candidate for the Vancouver Liberals, speaks on Oct. 26, 2025. He said the party’s name indicates how he wants ‘to govern and campaign in the centre.’ (Martin Diotte)The two biggest political brands in Canadian politics are trying to take over Vancouver city hall — sort of. On Saturday, the Vancouver Liberals formally nominated Kareem Allam, Ken Sim’s former chief of staff, as its mayoral candidate for the October 2026 local elections. Two days earlier, the Conservative Electors Association released a poll conducted by Mainstreet Research that said 32 per cent of respondents would vote for a “Vancouver Conservatives” mayoral candidate if an election were held today, more than any other party. The next biggest party was the Liberals at 22 per cent, with the city’s more established parties well back: COPE at 13 per cent, the Greens at 11 per cent, Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC Party at eight per cent, OneCity at five per cent, and TEAM and Rebecca Bligh’s new Vote Vancouver Party both at four per cent. The poll was conducted Oct. 17 to Oct. 22 among a sample of 1,207 adults, with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 per cent.Both the Vancouver Liberals and Vancouver Conservatives aren’t formally affiliated with federal parties. They are both brand new, so have no history of volunteers, fundraising, or political success. But both look at their early polling numbers and believe they have a path to success. WATCH | Who are Vancouver’s new Conservative and Liberal parties?:’Liberal’ and ‘Conservative’ parties gear up for Vancouver electionThe two biggest political brands in Canadian politics are trying to take over Vancouver city hall — sort of. Justin McElroy reports on the two of the newest political parties in the city, and why they might have a chance in the next municipal election. Sending a clear signalAllam said the reason to name his party after the Liberals was simple. “I wanted to signal to the electorate in the best way that I could that I intend to govern and campaign in the centre,” he said, adding that his campaign would focus on keeping young people in the city, merging Vancouver’s building code with the provincial version, getting rid of crypto ATMs, and getting a SkyTrain built to the University of British Columbia. “Nothing I think sends a stronger signal about where I intend the government [to go] than my party’s name.”It was a similar case for David Denhoff, president of the Conservative Electors Association, which has registered parties in 15 municipalities across the province, including Vancouver. “I think there’s been a feeling for a long time that there’s often a lack of clarity when local slates are running about where exactly they stand on the issues,” he said, adding that a Conservative platform would focus on crime and taxes. “People often describe Vancouver as a left-wing city, but there’s more conservatives in Vancouver than I think most people tend to think.”LISTEN | Stephen Quinn interviews Kareem Allam about his mayoral campaign:The Early Edition8:19Ken Sim’s former chief of staff launches bid to replace him as Vancouver mayorPolitical strategist Kareem Allam runs as a Vancouver Liberal for mayor of the city. He joins Vote Vancouver candidate Rebecca Bligh and Ken Sim in the run for mayor.Fundraising already underwayThe Conservative party lags behind the Liberals in one area — a lack of mayoral candidate.Denhoff said the party would be starting its nomination process for mayor and council in the next week or two, but had reached out to former park board commissioner John Coupar and 2014 NPA mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe for the purposes of their poll. LaPointe told CBC News he wasn’t interested — though he was considering a mayoral run in West Vancouver — while Coupar said he wouldn’t make a decision until the spring. Both the Conservatives and Liberals, along with Vancouver’s more established parties, are in the midst of making key decisions for next year’s election, prompted in part by campaign finance rules that cap the amount individuals can donate in a calendar year. Mark Marissen, a longtime political organizer who ran for mayor under the Progress Vancouver banner in 2022, said an established name was a benefit for any new party hoping to attract the funds necessary to compete with more established groups. “If you don’t have a brand that everybody knows, it’s just a tough slog of going out and talking to people and getting the money.”It was a sentiment that Coupar agreed with, for good or bad.”It makes it clear for people that — unfortunately — aren’t paying attention to local politics,” he said. ABOUT THE AUTHORJustin is the Municipal Affairs Reporter for CBC Vancouver, covering local political stories throughout British Columbia.
‘Liberal’ and ‘Conservative’ parties gear up to fight Vancouver election
