British Columbia elected a Conservative majority government on October 24, 2026, delivering power to the party for the first time in nearly a century. The snap election called by Premier David Eby backfired as the NDP lost government and Eby resigned, leaving interim leader Lorne Doerkson set to become premier.
David Eby Resigns After Snap Election Backfires
David Eby stepped down as leader of the NDP on election night after a high-stakes gamble to call a provincial election two years early backfired completely. With 95 per cent of polls reporting, the preliminary counts showed 64 Conservatives elected, 27 for the NDP, and two for the Greens.
Reflecting on the defeat in a sombre concession speech in Vancouver, Eby accepted full responsibility for the outcome. He pointed to his government’s prior work recruiting family doctors, lowering rents, and raising the minimum wage.
Congratulations, @LDoerkson, on your election victory.I look forward to working with you as Premier to get more homes built, unleash our full potential as an energy superpower, and build a stronger British Columbia and a stronger Canada for all.Thank you, Premier @Dave_Eby,…
Voters chose a different path.
The people of British Columbia have asked us to be the official opposition, which is obviously not the result any of us wanted.
“A number of my colleagues, some of the hardest working MLAs I know for their communities, were not elected tonight. It breaks my heart, and I accept full responsibility for that outcome.”
Eby originally called the vote on September 22, citing threats from U.S. tariffs under President Donald Trump and an existential moment for workers. His campaign quickly changed focus to housing and affordability issues as the Conservatives gained momentum.
Lorne Doerkson Leads the Conservative Wave to Power
Just over five weeks before taking office, Lorne Doerkson was an obscure legislator when he assumed the interim leadership of the Conservative Party on September 20. The party had been losing lawmakers at a rapid pace under former leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who resigned after 13 MLAs either left or were ousted.
Doerkson managed to unify the fractured party quickly.
He brought most of the independent conservative MLAs back into the fold before the writ dropped. On election night, as fireworks lit up the venue and Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” played, Doerkson told supporters that British Columbia was definitely blue.
The victory marks a historic return to power for the B.C. Conservatives, whose last premier, Simon Fraser Tolmie, was elected in 1928. Doerkson pledged to freeze all provincial taxes, cut red tape, and boost the economy.
Fraser Valley and Kelowna Fall Deep Blue During Cost-of-Living Squeeze
Voters across the Fraser Valley, which served as a conservative stronghold before the NDP breakthrough in 2020, returned to their traditional roots. Candidates in ridings like Langley-Walnut Grove and Langley-Willowbrook maintained commanding leads throughout the evening.
Voters in the region faced steep costs for groceries and gasoline, severe traffic congestion, and persistent difficulties finding family doctors. Jody Toor won in Langley-Willowbrook with 52 per cent of the vote, defeating former NDP MLA Andrew Mercier.
In Kelowna-Mission, incumbent MLA Gavin Dew secured a landslide victory with nearly 60 per cent of the vote. Dew pointed to opening unused space at Kelowna General Hospital. He also pointed to advancing mandatory care at the Okanagan Correctional Centre in Oliver to address the city’s high unemployment rate.
Mail-In Ballots Delay Results in Four Vancouver Island Ridings
Four ridings on Vancouver Island remain too close to call. Courtenay-Comox, Cowichan Valley, Juan de Fuca-Malahat, and Ladysmith-Oceanside are separated by razor-thin margins that depend entirely on mail-in ballots.
Elections BC announced it will not begin counting those mail-in ballots until November 6, delaying final confirmation in those tight contests. In Cowichan Valley, only 51 votes separated the leading Conservative candidate Bert Chen from NDP contender Debra Toporowski.
Voter participation dropped across the province. Over six days of advance voting, 891,348 people cast ballots, representing about 24 per cent of registered voters, down from 28 per cent in 2024. Turnout on election day itself fell short of previous totals, marking the lowest voter participation rate since 1996.
Which mail-in ballots will decide Courtenay-Comox, Cowichan Valley, Juan de Fuca-Malahat, and Ladysmith-Oceanside when counting begins on November 6?
