Garry Begg's name became known across BC in 2024 for the closest race in the province. First elected in 2017 as the NDP MLA for Surrey Guildford, and re-elected in 2020 and 2024, he was re-elected that October by just 22 votes over Conservative challenger Honveer Randhawa after a judicial recount, a margin that triggered a year-long court and Elections BC battle before the result stood.
Before politics he spent more than 38 years with the RCMP, serving in various postings and a wide variety of duties, the last eight in Surrey as district commander, watch commander and operations support officer. Few legislators in Victoria understand policing from the inside the way he does. As Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General he steered Surrey's move from the RCMP to the Surrey Police Service, a transition Premier David Eby later called an exceptional job, according to The Canadian Press.
In July 2025 he became Parliamentary Secretary for Surrey Infrastructure, keeping him on the files behind Surrey's biggest builds, and that October his caucus colleagues selected him as chair of the BC NDP caucus. Eby insisted the move out of cabinet was not a demotion, The Canadian Press reported, describing it as matching skills to the moment the province faced. He had also previously served as Government Whip. He highlighted $118 million in provincial financing for Surrey health care at the roof completion of the 125-bed Guru Nanak Diversity Village long-term care home, and days before the 2026 dissolution he joined the health minister to announce more than $33 million for emergency care and diagnostics at Surrey Memorial Hospital, welcoming faster, better care for Surrey's fast growing community.
Born and raised in Ontario, he is married with two adult children and two grandchildren, and his community office sits on 101 Avenue in Guildford. He says he entered politics to tackle crime, improve hospital care, move students out of portables, and fix transportation south of the Fraser, a to-do list drawn straight from Surrey conversations.
Editor's note: the legislature was dissolved on September 22, 2026 and a provincial election was called for October 24, 2026. Offices above reflect the 43rd Parliament.
This profile is part of Apna News' Candidates series, introducing the people who represent Surrey and its neighbouring communities. Apna News is Surrey's new multilingual news platform. If you spot something to correct or add, reach us at info@apnanews.ca.
Official links: Government bio
