Before confederation, the various colonies and dominions had different election laws that restricted enfranchisement on various factors such as gender, land ownership, religion, allegiance to the United Kingdom, or length of residency.

When the Colony of British Columbia held its first general election in 1866, Chinese and First Nations were excluded from voting only in the New Westminster district.

Although the boundary between New Westminster and Coast land districts has shifted significantly north to around modern day Prince Rupert according to the official map issued in 1891 by Forbes George Vernon, the province's Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works, the riding remained notionally the same as it consisted of both those district.

During this period, the three mainland seats consistently returned Conservative MPs, with Liberal James Cunningham's election in 1874 being the exception.

New Westminster riding continued to include Richmond, Delta and all the Fraser Valley communities up the river to one mile beyond Yale.

As population in the Lower Mainland continued to grow, by the 1933 election, the northern half of Burnaby was distributed to Vancouver North.