| Honorific suffix | MLA |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Ontario[1] |
| Office | Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General of British Columbia |
| Premier | David Eby |
| Term start | November 18, 2024 |
| Term end | July 17, 2025 |
| Predecessor | Mike Farnworth |
| Successor | Nina Krieger |
| Assembly 1 | British Columbia Legislative |
| Constituency am 1 | Surrey-Guildford |
| Term start 1 | May 9, 2017 |
| Predecessor 1 | Riding Established |
| Party | New Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Val Begg |
Garry Begg is a Canadian politician who has served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia since 2017, representing the electoral district of Surrey-Guildford.[2]
Biography
Born in Ontario, Begg had a 38-year career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), eight of which was spent in Surrey;[1][3] he attained the rank of inspector with the force.[4] He previously ran in the 2015 federal election as the federal New Democratic Party's candidate in Fleetwood—Port Kells,[4] but was not elected.[5]
In the 2017 provincial election, he ran in the newly established riding of Surrey-Guildford as a BC NDP candidate against Liberal Amrik Virk, also a former RCMP inspector. Begg defeated Virk to become a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia,[2][3] and served as government caucus whip in his first term.[6][7] He retained his seat in the 2020 provincial election.[8]
Begg faced a tight race against BC Conservative candidate Honveer Singh Randhawa in the 2024 election, with initial results indicating that Randhawa was leading by 103 votes.[9] After mail-in and absentee ballots were counted, Elections BC posted updated results on October 28, with Begg winning by 27 votes;[10][11] that figure was later revised to 21 votes.[12] As the margin was less than 1/500th of the total ballots cast, an automatic judicial recount was triggered.[10][11] The recount was completed on November 8, with Begg re-elected by a margin of 22 votes, allowing the NDP to hold on to a majority government.[12][13]
He was named to the Eby ministry on November 18, 2024 to serve as Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.[1][7][14] He was succeeded by Nina Krieger in July 2025.[15]
He and his wife Val have two children.[1][6]
References
- ^ "Honourable Garry Begg". Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ Saltman, Jennifer & Fumano, Dan (2017-05-10). "B.C. Election 2017: Brar, NDP take six of nine Surrey ridings". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "ELECTION 2017: In Surrey-Guildford, 'a new sheriff in town' as retired Surrey RCMP inspector Begg wins for NDP". Surrey Now-Leader. 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ Smith, Charlie (2015-07-12). "Federal NDP candidate Garry Begg appears in RCMP uniform on campaign website". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Profile - Fleetwood--Port Kells, British Columbia (2004-05-23 - )". Library of Parliament. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Garry Begg - Surrey-Guildford BC NDP". Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ Zytaruk, Tom (2024-11-18). "Two Surrey MLAS in NDP cabinet". Surrey Now-Leader. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "SURREY-GUILDFORD: NDP's Garry Begg wins again". Surrey Now-Leader. 2020-10-25. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ Zillich, Tom (2024-10-24). "Elections BC denies request by NDP's Begg for recount in Surrey-Guildford". Surrey Now-Leader. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "NDP poised to win majority after overturning Conservative lead in critical Surrey riding". CBC News. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ Zillich, Tom (2024-10-29). "'Surprised, pleased': NDP's Begg reacts to Surrey-Guildford win, judicial recount". Surrey Now-Leader. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ Burns, Anna (2024-11-08). "It's official: NDP's Begg wins Surrey-Guildford by 22 votes". Surrey Now-Leader. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "NDP majority holds with 22-vote victory in Surrey-Guildford recount". CBC News. 2024-11-08. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "David Eby Cabinet: 2022-Present". Legislative Library of British Columbia. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "Oak Bay MLA moved out of jobs portfolio, Victoria MLA steps into public safety". Times Colonist. 2025-07-17. Retrieved 2025-07-19.