Why B.C. Is Voting Two Years Early
British Columbians will vote Oct. 24 after Premier David Eby called an early provincial election. The Globe and Mail
Eby leads B.C.'s NDP. The province was not due to vote again for two years.
Eby said a new mandate is needed for stability and certainty during U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. He called it an "existential moment" for British Columbia.
The call followed a week of public positioning. As of Sept. 16, Eby had not ruled out an early election and had picked a campaign manager as talk grew of an early writ, the formal order that starts a campaign. On Sept. 18, he said no decision had been made.
The Opposition enters the writ period in flux. Kerry-Lynne Findlay quit as B.C. Conservative leader on Sunday after more than a dozen caucus members quit or were forced out. MLA Lorne Doerkson was named interim leader, a temporary leader, for the election. MLA Brent Chapman left the Conservatives for the right-leaning party OneBC.
A provincial by-election has also been called in Abbotsford-Mission. Final Voting Day is September 26, 2026.
The broader context here is about timing. A premier with a working majority does not usually ask the Lieutenant Governor — the King's representative who issues the writ — for a vote two years early unless he thinks timing will not be as favourable later. Eby is betting a trade-focused vote helps him before economic harm hardens, and a divided right cannot turn disputes over Ottawa-Washington files into local organization in a 32-day campaign.
Looking at the legislature, three practical points matter. First, fixed-date rules carry weight but do not bind a premier with confidence, or majority support in the house. Voters punish early calls only if the reason fails. Second, interim leaders have less control over messages, candidates and debate prep. Doerkson inherits a team down more than a dozen members, a strain for nominations and fundraising. Third, a Conservative-OneBC split hurts under first past the post, where most votes in a riding wins. Small losses in the Fraser Valley and Interior can protect NDP incumbents with no new NDP votes. It is like two runners from one club splitting support while another wins.
Looking ahead to Oct. 24, none of this decides the winner. Short campaigns compress scrutiny. The government must detail procurement, relief and work with other governments, while the Opposition needs a front bench, or top team, able to win protest votes. The Sept. 26 Abbotsford-Mission result will be read in Victoria less as a predictor than as a test of ground organization.
