It’s been about a month since Canadians went to the polls, and while the national conversation has mostly moved on, some of the most important insights from this election haven’t been told—especially when it comes to what happened in Brampton.
Electorally speaking, Brampton was one of the most fascinating case studies in this federal election, which itself was a reflection of deeper systemic challenges in our democracy. While much of the post-election analysis has focused on shifting party standings and what that might mean, there’s a bigger, more structural story beneath the surface—one that Brampton helps to tell.
The Red in Brampton is Really a Deep Purple
Brampton West, long considered a safe Liberal seat and held by the Minister of Health, Kamal Khera, flipped to the Conservatives. Brampton Centre, another Liberal stronghold, came down to a nail-biting finish, with the final result not declared until the day after the election. Brampton stayed mostly red—but barely. On the surface, this might seem like a case of party loyalty , but when we compare vote shares to previous years, the story looks different.
When compared to the 2021 results, Liberal strongholds across the country either held steady or delivered even stronger performances in 2025. That trend held true virtually everywhere—except in Brampton. While Shafqat Ali maintained a 48% vote share from 2021 to 2025, Sonia Sidhu saw her share dip by 2%, and both Ruby Sahota and Maninder Sidhu experienced a 5% drop in vote share.
Some of this shift can be attributed to boundary changes which added a sixth riding in Brampton, complicating direct comparisons. But even accounting for that, the contrast with neighbouring cities is striking. In Mississauga, Iqra Khalid saw her vote share rise by nearly 5%, Rechie Valdez gained about 4%, and Mississauga—Lakeshore posted a 7% increase. Just next door in Oakville East, a brand-new riding, Anita Anand improved her results by 5% from 2021 when she occupied the former riding of Oakville. Even the supposed portent of the Conservative victory, Toronto—St. Paul’s, which saw a nearly three decades-long liberal defeat in a by-election, saw a roughly 12% increase from 2021.
In a region where the Liberal brand strengthened, Brampton stands out, which likely explains why Brampton received three cabinet appointments last month. It is abundantly clear that this recent election has cemented its status as a key battleground, as I mentioned in my interview with David Common on CBC’s The National. Not featured in the final edit of the interview is my advice to the would-be Prime Minister to award more cabinet appointments to Brampton, which turned out to be the case.
The System is Broken
Though only winning one of six ridings, the Conservatives did exceptionally well in Brampton, with nearly 125,000 ballots cast for them. Though the Liberals received nearly 130,000 votes, nearly 137,000 Bramptonians voted against the Liberals in this election. So why are the Liberals increasingly unpopular in Brampton? Despite this, Liberals represent Brampton in five of its six ridings.
The first-past-the-post electoral system that we use for our elections doesn’t just choose winners and losers—it fundamentally warps how Canadians are represented. Brampton is a clear example of how entire communities can be both courted and ignored depending on how the numbers play out.
Under first-past-the-post, candidates can win with a mere plurality—even if most voters in their riding support someone else. Nationally, this leads to bizarre imbalances. In Alberta, the Liberals earned nearly 28% of the popular vote but took just 5% of the seats. In Nova Scotia, the Liberals won 91% of the seats with just 57% of the vote. In Brampton, the Liberals won 49% of the vote but occupy 83% of the seats.
This means that the votes of thousands of people in Brampton and across our country didn’t translate into real representation. It also means that political parties have little incentive to engage meaningfully with voters in places considered either “safe” or unwinnable. The race becomes about swing ridings and strategic voting, not honest, democratic expression. Brampton is one of the youngest, fastest-growing, and most diverse communities in Canada. We are a microcosm of the country’s future. Our current electoral system marginalizes Bramptonians, suppresses new political ideas and third parties, and forces voters into strategic boxes instead of encouraging honest engagement.
Particularly as the province pushes forward with the controversial legislation like Bill 5 and massive public expenditures like the 401 tunnel, we must ask ourselves if we can accept giving 100% of the power to a government that was elected with only 43% of the vote.
Solutions
The next federal election may still be years away, but the conversation around real, meaningful electoral reform needs to begin now. In Canada, ranked ballots are already used by political parties to select their leaders—allowing members to rank their preferences and ensuring that the winner has majority support. Why can’t we employ this for general elections?
Internationally, New Zealand also offers a compelling example. Once a first-past-the-post country like Canada, it transitioned to a mixed-member proportional representation system. Its Parliament roughly reflects the popular vote. If we used Brampton as an example, this would translate to the Liberals and Conservatives sharing about three seats each instead of the 5-1 ratio we currently see.
Keep the Pressure Up
I’m glad to see the federal government acknowledging Brampton’s importance with three well-deserved cabinet appointments, but Brampton cannot be appeased with titles alone. As we’ve consistently shown, we will continue to apply electoral pressure and demand the representation, investment, and respect our city deserves. For all intents and purposes, the Liberals are quickly losing ground in Brampton. There is much punditry about why. We are observing the Conservative shift of young families and newcomers. Some have also suggested Kamal Khera’s loss represents the frustrations of a community with only one fully functioning hospital. There are myriad reasons why Bramptonians are rejecting the Liberal brand, and it’s time the government paid close attention to our needs to rebuild it.
The Brampton Board of Trade is excited to work with those elected to represent us, but we will not be shy about sharing the unique position that Brampton occupies in the electorate. If you’re interested in electoral reform or the results of the federal election, contact me at vsingh@bramptonbot.com
