On a Saturday night in late October, British Columbia's voters appeared to be turning a long chapter of NDP government toward a new page, as early returns pointed to a Conservative majority under Lorne Doerkson. The result carries the weight of a snap election that many saw as a calculated move by Premier David Eby, and it arrives at a moment when a province rich in resources is struggling with debt, unaffordable homes, and a steady exodus of its young people. Whether the lead holds as the full count arrives will reveal whether the electorate is seeking a sharper accounting of public money or
Early B.C. returns point to Conservative majority as Doerkson poised to unseat Premier Eby
A relatively unknown former rodeo announcer poised to become premier
Mark
The headline says Conservative majority, but it's only 9 p.m. How firm is this?
Mimi
Not firm. The 62-to-29 split is a CTV analyst projection from early returns, with the Greens at two. It's a strong signal, not a final count.
Luke
Right, and that's worth holding onto. Projected seats aren't won seats. The source calls the results early, so the margin could move.
Mark
Why did Eby's election call matter so much?
Mimi
He called it Sept. 22, two years early, and it was widely seen as cynical. His campaign then stumbled through gaffes and never gained momentum.
Luke
Careful, though. "Widely viewed" is the paper's characterization. We don't have polling or voter quotes here to measure that.
Mark
Who is Doerkson?
Mimi
A former rodeo announcer and newspaper publisher, largely unknown before this. He'd lead a party that is essentially the old BC Liberals under a new name.
Luke
And the 70,000 young people who left last year is a striking figure, but it's cited without a source, and his debt-to-GDP claim of 30 per cent comes from his own campaign video.
Mark
So what's the real test ahead?
Mimi
Whether the majority holds, then how he handles deficits, affordability and the big infrastructure plans with Ottawa.
Luke
Which we can't answer yet. The platform details aren't in this reporting.
Der Puls
- Early results at 9 p.m. Pacific put the Conservatives on course for 62 seats against the NDP's 29, well past the 47 needed for a majority.
- Premier David Eby's decision to call a vote two years early on Sept. 22 is drawing sharp criticism as a cynical manoeuvre that never found its footing.
- A campaign stumbled through repeated gaffes while the Conservative challenger, a former rodeo announcer and newspaper publisher, sharpened a message about runaway deficits.
- With debt-to-GDP doubled to 30 per cent and 70,000 young people leaving last year, the incoming government inherits a province in visible strain.
- The projected majority still awaits the final count, and the next premier must balance fiscal repair against billions in planned transmission, LNG and mining investments.
On a Saturday night in late October, British Columbia's voters appeared to be turning a long chapter of NDP government toward a new page, as early returns pointed to a Conservative majority under Lorne Doerkson. The result carries the weight of a snap election that many saw as a calculated move by Premier David Eby, and it arrives at a moment when a province rich in resources is struggling with debt, unaffordable homes, and a steady exodus of its young people. Whether the lead holds as the full count arrives will reveal whether the electorate is seeking a sharper accounting of public money or simply a change of stewardship.
As the first results came in on Saturday evening, October 24, the British Columbia election was already taking a shape that few had expected. Analysts at CTV projected the Conservatives at 62 seats and the NDP at 29, with the Greens expected to take two. A majority requires 47, so the numbers, though still early, pointed to a decisive break from the governing party.
The night is being read through one decision above all. Premier David Eby called the vote two years ahead of schedule on September 22, a move widely seen as cynical. His campaign never regained its footing and was marked by repeated gaffes, and the call itself was broadly unpopular.
The man likely to replace him is largely unknown. Lorne Doerkson, a former rodeo announcer and newspaper publisher, built his pitch around the province's finances. In a September video he pointed to ballooning deficits and a debt-to-GDP ratio that has doubled to 30 per cent, declaring that a decade of mismanagement had left the economy 'off the cliff' while affordability kept worsening.
The province he would inherit is under real pressure. High taxes, weak private investment and unaffordable housing drove a record 70,000 young people out last year. Even so, British Columbia is working alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney on large projects in transmission lines, liquefied natural gas terminals and new mines.
The Conservatives are the renamed BC Liberals, who last governed under Christy Clark until the NDP took power in 2017. What remains is the test of the full count, and then the harder question of what a deficit-focused government will do with the province's debt and cost of living.
As of 9 p.m. Pacific on Saturday, Oct. 24, early returns in British Columbia's provincial election pointed toward a commanding Conservative majority, with Lorne Doerkson positioned to push NDP Leader David Eby out of the premier's office.
The numbers were still early. Analysts at CTV were projecting the Conservatives to win 62 seats and the NDP 29, with the Green Party expected to take two. A majority requires 47 seats, so a result along those lines would leave the newly formed Conservative Party well clear of the threshold. It would also be a stunning win over an NDP whose campaign never gained momentum after Eby called the vote on Sept. 22.
That call is central to how the night is being read. Eby went to the voters two years ahead of schedule, a move widely viewed as a cynical political manoeuvre. His campaign then stumbled through repeated gaffes, and the National Post described the election call as highly unpopular.
The man positioned to replace him is relatively unknown. Doerkson is a former rodeo announcer and newspaper publisher. If the projections hold, he would take over at what the Post calls a critical juncture in Western Canadian politics.
The province he would inherit is under strain. B.C. is dealing with growing fiscal deficits, high taxes, weak private sector investment and rising unaffordability. Last year a record 70,000 young people left the province, driven out by high housing costs and onerous taxes. At the same time, B.C. is pursuing major infrastructure investments alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney, with plans to put billions into transmission lines, liquefied natural gas export terminals and proposed new mines.
Doerkson made the fiscal case directly in a campaign video posted in September. He pointed to ballooning deficits and a debt-to-GDP ratio that has doubled to 30 per cent, and suggested the provincial government would need to step in to reverse the trend. "We've seen what a decade of mismanagement in this province looks like," he said, adding that the NDP had "driven our economy off the cliff, while unaffordability has gone higher and higher."
The Conservatives are the latest name for what used to be the BC Liberal party, a collection of centrist and centre-right members. The party last held the premier's office under Christy Clark, who was ousted in 2017 when NDP leader John Horgan took power, ending a 16-year run for the party. The NDP, first under Horgan and then Eby, has governed since.
What to watch now is whether the early projection survives the full count, and what a new premier elected on a deficit-focused platform does about the province's debt and affordability pressures.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
We've seen what a decade of mismanagement in this province looks like.— Lorne Doerkson, in a September campaign video
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