British Columbians will be heading to the polls twice next month after David Eby called a snap provincial election for Oct. 24, a move he justified citing an “existential threat” posed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Eby announced his decision Tuesday at Government House in Victoria, where Lt.-Gov. Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia agreed to dissolve the legislature to pave the way for the early vote—one week after the provincewide municipal election on Oct. 17. The B.C. NDP leader framed the call as an opportunity for British Columbians to have a say in how the government responds to Trump’s trade war and other problems stemming from Canada’s strained relationship with the U.S. “Trump is attacking our workers, he is targeting our businesses, and he is threatening our sovereignty,” he said. “He wants to weaken us, he wants to divide us, he wants to drive up our costs and put our business and our workers at risk.” Eby also accused the Opposition B.C. Conservatives of trying to import “MAGA-style politics” into the province. Optics of ‘dirty pool’ Speculation has swirled for weeks that the NDP would seize on turmoil on the province’s political right to win a new mandate—particularly after embattled Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned over the weekend. Observers including Hamish Telford, associate political science professor with the University of the Fraser Valley, cautioned the optics of doing so could be damaging. “There’s long been a sort of a gentlemen’s understanding or agreement in Canadian politics that you don’t call an election when the official Opposition party is without a leader,” Telford told CTV News this week. “I think that would strike a lot of people as dirty pool.” Lorne Doerkson, the incumbent MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin, was named interim Conservative leader late Sunday night, and slammed the election call as “cynical” Tuesday afternoon. “It’s a cheap, opportunistic political move,” Doerkson told reporters in Vancouver. “But you know what, I think David Eby is going to regret this, and it’s because this election actually offers an opportunity for hope and real change.” Asked about the ethics of sending voters to the polls now, Eby argued the Opposition has been “in chaos since the last election,” cycling through four leaders and interim leaders since 2024. Referencing recent calls from the Conservatives to lift B.C.’s ban on U.S. alcohol, the premier summed up the party’s offering to voters as: “Chaos, division, culture war, acquiescence, giving up, cuts.” Municipal leaders had also urged Eby to delay a potential election call, worried it would overwhelm voters and overshadow local issues. Shifting allegiances on the right Since the last provincial election, two splinter parties have broken off on the political right: OneBC and CentreBC. Complaints over Findlay’s leadership saw the Opposition bleed caucus members over the summer, with nine MLAs defecting to sit as Independents. Most joined the fledgling CentreBC last week, including incumbent Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar, who was also named the more moderate right-wing party’s leader—only for them all to return to the Conservatives Tuesday shortly after the election call. Appearing alongside Doerkson Tuesday, Milobar told supporters: “Now is not the time to let petty personal squabbles come between us and a better B.C.” “There is no question that our caucus is a pretty lively caucus,” Doerkson added. “But we are back together here today.” Only Elenore Sturko, the Surrey-Cloverdale incumbent who was expelled from the Conservatives under former leader John Rustad, currently remains with CentreBC. “We all want to remove the NDP government which has caused such harm to our province, but at the end of the day, you also have to stand for something,” CentreBC president Mike Wignall said in a statement. “CentreBC remains committed to our foundational values and will not be selling out to divisive politics.” Earlier in the day, incumbent South Surrey MLA Brent Chapman, who is married to Findlay, announced he was leaving the Conservatives for OneBC—a party that does not have official party status in the legislature, and has been best by controversy and accusations of extremism since its inception. “I have watched my wife, Kerry-Lynne, endure attacks form people she once stood beside,” Chapman wrote in a letter to the Conservatives. “I do not know exactly what the future holds, but I have to hold true to the principles that brought me here in the first place. I know that I cannot continue as part of this party.” The chaos on the right stems from ideological tensions between the more populist and pragmatic-leaning MLAs, Telford said this week. It was that division that made Eby want to “call this election and take advantage,” he said. NDP’s pitch to voters Speaking outside Government House, Eby laid out a pitch for a renewed mandate that largely focused on protecting the province from “bullying” from Trump. He said the NDP would support businesses and employees affected by tariffs, strengthen health care and other public services, build infrastructure and homes, and maintain B.C.’s liquor ban until the U.S. strikes a fair deal for forestry workers. “This isn’t just a trade war, this is about whether your family can see a doctor when you need one. It’s about whether you can afford a home. It’s about whether your job is secure and whether your kids see a bright future here,” Eby said. “These are the things that are at stake.” B.C. Green Party Leader Emily Lowan slammed the decision to call a snap election as costly and unnecessary, and questioned the NDP leader’s justification. “This government has offered tough talk on Trump, but hasn’t delivered any real support for the people and industries feeling the pain or implemented plans to build a local, resilient economy that could actually withstand the next shock,” Lowan said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “If they wanted to offer that support and stability they could do so today, instead they plunged us into an election.” Three of the NDP’s cabinet ministers—Ravi Kahlon, Kelly Greene and Lana Popham—have already announced they won’t be seeking re-election. Advance voting will begin Oct. 16 and run until Oct. 21. Before the writ dropped on Tuesday, early voting was already underway in the planned Sept. 26 byelection in Abbotsford-Mission, where Conservative Reann Gasper resigned last month to make way for then-leader Findlay to earn a seat in the legislature. That byelection has been cancelled, and it was unclear if Findlay will be running in the general election next month instead. The Sept. 26 byelection in Abbotsford-Mission, where Conservative Reann Gasper resigned last month to make way for then-leader Findlay to earn a seat in the legislature, is cancelled. With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Lisa Steacy, Ian Holliday and Kaija Jussinoja
