British Columbians head to the polls on Oct. 24 with five party leaders—each facing a different caucus and election outlook after Premier David Eby called a snap vote.
The Story
British Columbians are going to the polls on Oct. 24, 2026, about two years ahead of schedule, after Premier David Eby announced an early election. The race sets up a fresh look at party leadership in a legislature that has changed notably since the October 2024 election, including shifts in caucus strength and tensions inside governing and opposition ranks.
Eby leads the governing B.C. New Democrats and enters the election with a historically narrow majority. In 2024, the NDP held its government by a one-seat margin in the legislature, with the result in Surrey-Guildford confirmed by Garry Begg’s 22-vote win after a recount.
While Eby’s government has faced criticism on a range of issues raised over the year, his caucus strength relative to the B.C. Conservatives has changed since 2024. The article notes that the gap between the NDP caucus and the Conservatives widened over time, moving from a 47-44 split in 2024 to 47-29.
The lead-up to this election has also been shaped by internal pressure around Indigenous legislation, specifically the fate of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s Act. The piece describes how Eby sought to change parts of the measure, faced a confidence-vote threat, and ultimately backed down earlier this year, leaving questions about the party’s next steps.
The profile of Eby includes personal and career details that help situate his leadership. Born in 1976 in Kitchener, Ont., he worked as a human rights lawyer before entering politics, including running the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, and later served as attorney general and minister of housing under the NDP government of John Horgan. He replaced Anjali Appadurai as premier after her disqualification from the leadership race and has been the NDP leader since 2022.
Eby’s leadership also reflects a history of political defeats and comeback moments. He became known for beating then-premier Christie Clark in Vancouver-Point Grey in the 2013 election. The profile also notes that he is married to family physician Dr. Cailey Lynch and they have three children.
On the opposition side, Lorne Doerkson is the interim leader of the B.C. Conservatives heading into Oct. 24. The article describes him as having less public familiarity than some of his predecessors, and it notes that former leader John Rustad acknowledged that many British Columbians may not know Doerkson, while praising him and indicating he would be willing to support leadership going forward.
Doerkson became interim leader after Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned on Sunday following a four-month tenure marked by infighting and resignations or expulsions from caucus. In response to the party’s fracture, the article says Doerkson moved to bring the situation behind the Conservatives by welcoming five MLAs, including Rustad, back to the caucus on Monday. It also points out that Doerkson’s ability to seek permanent Conservative leadership is restricted by the party constitution.
The leadership field beyond the two major parties includes candidates and interim leaders reflecting further changes in the legislature. Peter Milobar is identified as interim leader of eight former Conservative MLAs who joined CentreBC and are still listed by the legislature as Independents; Milobar previously represented ridings in Kamloops, was mayor there for three terms, and had been an opposition finance critic. Emily Lowan leads the Green Party and, despite not holding a seat, leads two MLAs—Rob Botterell in Saanich North and the Islands and Jeremy Valeriote in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky—after being elected leader last year to replace Sonia Furstenau after the prior election. Dallas Brodie is interim leader of OneBC, a group described as positioned to gain official party status with the addition of Brent Chapman; Brodie is an MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena under the Conservative banner in 2024, and the article notes she was ejected from that caucus in March 2025 over comments associated with residential school survivors.
← More stories