Braeden Caley, a former political aide to Prime Minister Mark Carney, will trade in his staffer hat for an MP’s lapel pin after winning the federal byelection in the British Columbia riding of North Vancouver-Capilano.
With more than 90 per cent of the polls reporting late Monday, 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, telling the crowd voters had chosen partnership over division in a moment of uncertainty stemming from trade conflict with the United States.
He said the byelection result was “an instruction to stand strong versus those unjust tariffs,” along with bringing down costs for Canadians, building affordable homes, delivering infrastructure and fighting climate change.
“With Mark Carney, we chose a plan to stand firmly behind our Canadian workers and businesses and importantly, to build Canada strong for all,” Caley said.
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 all.”
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The riding has been considered a safe Liberal seat that saw former cabinet minister Jonathan Wilkinson win for a fourth time in the 2025 federal election.
Wilkinson resigned in June to become Canada’s ambassador to the European Union. Caley, meanwhile, stepped away from his role as Carney’s deputy chief of staff in Ottawa to campaign for the seat.
Byelections also took place Monday in the Toronto riding of Beaches-East York and the Quebec riding of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord — both of which the Liberals clinched.
In an interview before votes were counted, Caley said he shared the prime minister’s vision for strengthening Canadian independence and called the riding of North Vancouver-Capilano an important piece of the puzzle.
The longtime Liberal aide said he’d thought about resigning as Carney’s deputy chief of staff for weeks before announcing in July that he would, saying he was encouraged by the opportunities he sees in the riding and his home province overall.
B.C. is central to Canada’s economic future, Caley said, noting a third of the projects referred to Canada’s major projects office for potential fast-tracking are located in the province.
“There are incredible intersections of opportunity right now to build much faster than we’ve ever been used to, but to do so in ways that enhance our conservation areas across the province, that unlock entirely new horizons of partnership with First Nations … in ways that benefit everyone who calls B.C. home,” Caley said.
After a series of jobs in Ottawa over the last decade, Caley said moving back to B.C. full time was exciting — at a time when Canada is reorienting itself economically, investing in its own industries and moving exports away from the United States.
“Any success on that front will depend on success being seen and felt in North Vancouver-Capilano,” he said, noting the riding is home to the busiest port in Canada.
The riding wants to “get on with building,” Caley said, pointing to the resurgence of the workforce at Seaspan Shipyards in recent years.
The Liberals’ national poll numbers have been buoyed by Carney’s decision to walk away from trade negotiations with Trump on Aug. 21.
Elections Canada indicated more than 16,000 people voted early in North Vancouver-Capilano between that day and the following Monday.
The Conservative candidate in the riding, Curran, had emphasized his local roots.
Caley, too, said B.C. is home.
Asked about mentorship working with Carney, former prime minister Justin Trudeau and Gregor Robertson — the former Vancouver mayor turned federal housing minister — Caley said the biggest lesson was serving local needs.
“I remember having a choice when I was starting out younger in politics about going to Ottawa or staying in B.C., and I worked for six years in two different MPs’ constituency offices here in B.C., five of which were in Opposition,” he said.
In those offices and in Robertson’s as mayor of Vancouver, Caley said he learned about being attuned to constituents’ everyday concerns.
He said without the right effort, the federal government can feel “very far away.”
Flanked by several B.C. MPs, including Robertson, on Monday, Caley told supporters that he knows how politics works, and sometimes “doesn’t work well enough for people.
He said he would make sure North Shore priorities are heard at decision-making tables.
The House of Commons returns Sept. 21. More byelections are expected in the coming months in Saskatchewan, Quebec and Ontario.
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