With over two decades of experience shaping progressive campaigns across Canada, Matt Smith is a seasoned political strategist who has helped elect mayors, premiers, and Members of Parliament. His journey began in Vancouver’s municipal political scene under the mentorship of Jim Green, where he played a key role in the historic 2002 COPE and Larry Campbell election victory.

Matt was instrumental in the creation of Vision Vancouver and led research and voter contact operations for Gregor Robertson’s successful mayoral campaigns in 2008, 2011, and 2014. His municipal expertise extends across the country: in Edmonton, he supported Don Iveson’s 2013 and 2017 wins and served as pollster and voter contact advisor for Amarjeet Sohi’s 2021 mayoral campaign. In Ontario, he provided research and engagement support to Karen Farbridge in Guelph and Rob Burton in Oakville. In Montreal, he worked with Projet Montréal on bilingual polling and voter outreach in 2015, and supported Mayor Valérie Plante’s 2023 re-election with list building, texting, and calling strategies.

A lifelong New Democrat, Matt has delivered polling, focus groups, microtargeting, and voter contact services for provincial NDP campaigns in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. Federally, he contributed to Jack Layton’s historic 2011 Orange Wave and was part of the polling team for Tom Mulcair’s 2015 campaign.

Matt has also worked on electoral reform referendums and tax plebiscites in British Columbia. He led the year-long BC Data Project, a collaboration with ten NGOs and unions to develop shared data strategies and build a high-quality provincial list enriched with demographic, consumer, and sociographic data.

In September 2021, David Eby asked Matt to take over his campaign to succeed John Horgan as leader of the BC NDP. After securing the leadership, Eby appointed Matt as his Chief of Staff. Over the next two years, Matt helped shape Premier Eby’s public brand and drive action on key issues like housing, energy, and affordability. With the next election only two years away on day one, Matt focused on building a winning campaign strategy grounded in polling, analysis, and deep political experience.

Matt holds an M.A. in Electoral Geography from the University of Toronto, where his thesis examined the impact of Vancouver’s at-large electoral system on the electability of racialized candidates. He has published academic research on racialized candidates in Ontario municipal elections and on the politics and planning behind Vancouver’s Burrard Bridge bike lane.