VICTORIA — Former British Columbia cabinet minister Ravi Kahlon said the New Democrats must dive deeply and learn from what led to their crushing defeat by the Conservatives in the province’s snap election this month. Kahlon, who decided not to seek re-election, said appealing to people outside Victoria and Vancouver would be key to the party’s success in the future. The path to victory is narrow if the NDP counts on those strongholds to win elections, he said in an interview on Friday. But the snap election itself, called two years into the NDP’s mandate under outgoing premier David Eby, was also a factor in the government’s demise. “Overwhelmingly, I heard from people that they just couldn’t get over the fact that the election was called,” Kahlon said. Kahlon said the NDP must also ask itself how its messages resonate with voters of Chinese, South Asian and Filipino backgrounds. “Those are communities that we didn’t do as well, and we have to really reflect on what it is that we’re proposing in these communities,” he said. Kahlon said he hoped that would be a key part of the work the party would do with interim leader Jennifer Whiteside, the former labour minister, at the helm. As for Kahlon’s future with the party, he said family is his priority for now. He’s been catching up on lost time with his teenage son, teaching him how to drive and coaching his basketball team. Yet politics and sports have historically given Kahlon what he called his two Ps — purpose and pressure. “I’ll be searching for those, the two Ps, as I kind of endeavour on what the next steps will look like.” His Olympic career as a field hockey player for Canada has ended, but Kahlon has not closed the door on politics. Kahlon did not rule out running for the permanent leadership of the NDP after Eby’s election-night resignation, though he pointed to outgoing deputy premier Niki Sharma and former cabinet minister Josie Osborne as “great” potential candidates. Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West could be another “strong voice” to lead the provincial NDP, Kahlon said. Kahlon, who was first elected in 2017 and also served as jobs minister, said he, like his party, needed time to reflect before determining next steps. But he has told former caucus colleagues that he is around to help. “There’s a lot of talent,” he said Friday. “If I will be involved or not, and at what scope that is, I can’t predict that at this stage. Too much happening, too fresh; we’ll have to see.” Kahlon had left the game shortly after the opening whistle, announcing he wouldn’t seek re-election in a press release hours after the snap election call. “The premier called an election and I decided that this was not the time for me to run again and instead spend some time with home base,” he said. NDP legislators, including Kahlon, had met fewer than 48 hours earlier to discuss next steps after the resignation of former Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay. Kahlon declined to reveal what he told Eby during that meeting. “What I told him is what I told him and I’m not going to relive it,” he said. “The reality is, the premier heard various opinions and he made a decision and it turned out it wasn’t the right one.” Kahlon’s comments came less than a week after watching the election results from the sidelines, sitting at home with his partner, using a tablet. “I had Elections BC on my screen and I was just refreshing, refreshing,” he said, adding it was a “weird” way to watch the results after working on seven election campaigns for the NDP and running in three of them. Being a spectator gave the Oct. 24 election a different flavour. “You feel a lot of anxiety, because you don’t have control to help change the direction of the game, you’re just watching,” he said. Kahlon said fear of losing wasn’t a factor in his decision not to run. “I’ve never been afraid to lose,” he said. “You don’t play field hockey for Canada, and try to compete at the international level if you’re afraid of losing. So, that’s just not my mentality.” Kahlon said his only regret was not being able to help his colleagues. “That being said, I probably wouldn’t have been able to make a big significant change in the outcome of that (election),” he said. “The public mood was the public mood.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2026.
