VANCOUVER – Premier David Eby is making U.S. President Donald Trump and the threat posed by his trade policies a central argument for why British Columbia needs an early election, but experts argue that may be a tough sell to voters. Eby launched the provincial campaign Tuesday, with an appeal for a fresh mandate to protect B.C. from the economic fallout of Trump’s latest tariffs. Speaking in front of the Peace Arch border crossing, Eby portrayed the coming election as a pivotal moment. “Families feel these tariffs reaching into their grocery bill. They see it at the pump,” Eby said. But the NDP already holds a majority in the legislature and Eby called the election with two years remaining in his government’s mandate. That is creating an awkward political question for the premier at the outset of the campaign, said University of British Columbia political scientist Kathryn Harrison. “The central issue in this campaign is shaping to be whether we should be having an election at all,” Harrison said. Harrison said early elections can be risky for governing parties. “Voters don’t like going back to the polls too much, too soon,” she said. “And there’s a tendency to blame the party that calls the election.” That risk is particularly relevant to Eby’s decision because he is not seeking an election to form a government after losing his majority. He is asking voters to give him a fresh mandate while his government remains in power. Eby’s election timing calculation Eby’s election call came after weeks of speculation and months of drama and disarray within the official opposition B.C. Conservative Party. But former Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned Sunday, and the party quickly installed Lorne Doerksen as interim leader. Several Conservative MLAs who had left or been kicked out of the caucus have since returned, as the party attempts to rebuild on the fly. “I think the speed with which they have pulled that off, or seem to have pulled it off, is a surprise even to me,” Harrison said. The opposition’s turmoil was one factor that appeared to make an early election attractive to the NDP. But Harrison said that calculation could look different now that the Conservatives are moving fast. The party also has an opportunity to try to reposition itself around economic issues rather than some of the socially conservative controversies that have dominated its recent public image, she said. Back-to-back election fatigue The timing is also not proving popular with some local politicians, as British Columbians will be voting in municipal elections only one week before the provincial vote. The provincial election has been scheduled for Oct. 24, while the municipal vote, also on a Saturday, is one week earlier. Municipal leaders had asked Eby to delay the provincial election call until after their campaigns were finished. They did not get their wish. “This move is not being well received by local governments across British Columbia,” said Pete Fry, a Vancouver mayoral candidate. “It’s incredibly frustrating for all of us who have been actively pursuing our campaigns.” Port Coquitlam mayoral candidate Brad West said voters have limited time and attention to devote to political campaigns. “People only have so much bandwidth, and now they’re going to be just bombarded by provincial advertising and provincial issues,” West said. The early election also raises questions about unnecessary costs. The 2024 B.C. provincial election set taxpayers back more than $82 million.
