British Columbia NDP Leader David Eby is pledging a new training program for international medical graduates and discounted tuition or loan forgiveness for health-care workers willing to work in rural communities. Eby, campaigning in Surrey, B.C., at the site for a new medical school, says the school would offer “bridging to practice” training for qualified foreign graduates already living in the province but who are unable to practice family medicine because of a lack of residency spots. He says the program would be the first of its kind in Canada and he hopes other provinces follow suit. Other promises laid out in the NDP health platform include discounted tuition, loan forgiveness, and moving expenses for workers heading to underserved rural areas. Eby says an NDP government would also provide incentives for doctors to offer same-day appointments, evening and weekend care, and would add 1,000 training seats for nurses, nurse practitioners, allied health workers and care aides. He says the NDP would build 20 additional primary care clinics in the province. Eby also addressed Thursday’s removal of candidate Joachim Agou from the B.C. Conservative slate for the Oct. 24 election, over online posts that the NDP called racist. Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate Joachim Agou said on social media that he was truly sorry, and took responsibility for his words but rejected accusations of racism. In one post, Agou said a car that drove through a pro-Palestine protest “should have reversed” over demonstrators, while another showed him sharing a meme that used an expletive to describe Pakistan. Eby called it “a continuation of embarrassing conduct by Conservative candidates.” “It is disgrace that the Conservative Party continues to put forward candidates like this. They have not changed,” he said. He added that the Conservatives “tried to sneak this candidate past British Columbians but they got caught.” Interim Conservative Party leader Lorne Doerkson said on Thursday the posts were inexcusable and if Agou was elected Oct. 24, he would not be part of the Conservative caucus. Agou said in a Facebook post on Thursday that he should have expressed himself “more clearly and calmly,” stating that demonstrations “should not bring a city to a standstill or put lives at risk.” He also said he understood why the Conservatives withdrew their support and he would run as an independent in the riding considered an NDP stronghold. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2026.
