Eby asks lieutenant governor to dissolve legislature, sets Oct. 24 election after Trump ‘existential’ warning

The Story

B.C. Premier David Eby formally called an early provincial election on Tuesday, moving to dissolve the legislature less than two years into his mandate and setting voting day for Oct. 24.

Eby went to Government House in Victoria to request that Lt.-Gov. Wendy Cocchia dissolve the legislature, which triggered an election campaign with Oct. 24 as the final day for voting.

According to Eby, the decision is driven by what he described as a serious, near-term threat linked to U.S. President Donald Trump and his trade war, which he characterized as an “existential moment” for British Columbia.

The election date falls one week after scheduled municipal elections, creating an overlap that Eby proceeded with despite pleas from multiple local government leaders to avoid running the provincial campaign at the same time.

The timing and rationale also come as the Opposition faces internal disruption, following a wave of instability within the B.C. Conservatives after their leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned on Sunday after less than four months in office.

In the days around the leadership change, five MLAs who had recently resigned or were expelled from the Conservative caucus were welcomed back on Monday, bringing the party’s caucus strength to 29.

That renewed alignment, however, is not expected to last, as Brent Chapman—Findlay’s husband and an elected legislator—announced he is leaving the Conservatives to join OneBC.

Eby’s decision has therefore been met with an additional layer of uncertainty for voters, as party structures on the right side of the legislature continue to reconfigure while the election campaign begins.

For voters across B.C., the central practical change is the compressed timeline created by the early call, including the challenge of navigating both provincial and municipal political priorities in a short period immediately before polling day on Oct. 24.