She is a former member of the Non-Partisan Association and ABC Vancouver, under whose banners she was elected in 2018 and 2022, respectively. After being removed from the ABC caucus over policy disagreements in 2025, she founded a new party, Vote Vancouver. She ran to be the mayor of Vancouver in the 2026 Vancouver municipal election under the banner, placing fifth.
Political career
First elected to the Vancouver City Council as a member of the center-right Non-Partisan Association (NPA), she left the party in 2019, citing concerns of a perceived "far-right" swing of the party following the election of two new executives affiliated with the anti-SOGI movement, stating, "As the only queer elected official with the NPA, I feel the party no longer represents or supports my choices, my identity, and everybody that believes in inclusion." Her concerns were echoed by 2018 NPA mayoral candidate Ken Sim, while Bligh's fellow NPA councillors Melissa De Genova, Lisa Dominato, Colleen Hardwick and Sarah Kirby-Yung did not leave the party but took steps to distance themselves from its board. By 2022, all except De Genova had quit the NPA, with Bligh, Dominato and Kirby-Yung affiliating with ABC Vancouver, and Hardwick joining TEAM for a Livable Vancouver.
As a candidate for ABC Vancouver, Bligh was re-elected to a second term in the Vancouver City Council in the 2022 Vancouver municipal election.
On February 14, 2025, Bligh was removed from the ABC Vancouver caucus. The removal came after multiple instances of Bligh contradicting other ABC councillors. In November 2024, Bligh voted against proposed bylaw amendments to allow the use of natural gas for heating in new building projects after a ban put in place by a previous council in 2020, contributing to the 5–5 tie that defeated the amendments and kept the ban. In January 2025, Bligh, along with fellow ABC councillor Lisa Dominato, disagreed with Vancouver mayor Ken Sim's plans to freeze new supportive housing projects in the city, stating that the severity of the homelessness crisis "outweighs what we're able to do as a municipality on our own" without support from the British Columbia provincial government. According to a statement from ABC party president Stephen Molnar concerning Bligh's removal from the caucus in February, "While [Bligh] remains a Vancouver City Councillor, it has become clear that she is not aligned with the shared priorities and team-oriented approach that defines ABC Vancouver."[citation needed] Bligh told reporters that Mayor Sim "abandoned the core principles" that motivated her to join the party.
From October 2024 to June 2026, Bligh served as the president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which represents the interests of Canadian cities vis-a-vis the federal government. As of September2026[update], she is still a member of its board of directors.
On September 22, 2025, Bligh announced the formation of a new party, Vote Vancouver, and announced her intention to run for mayor of Vancouver in the 2026 Vancouver municipal election. She placed fifth with 4.21% of the vote, with Vote Vancouver failing to elect any councillors, park board members, or school board trustees.
Personal life
She was born in New Zealand and immigrated to Canada with her parents when she was 10 years old.[citation needed] She is married to Laura Appleton, and has two children. Prior to being elected to office, she founded a consulting and facilitation practice for executives and organizations.[citation needed]
