David Eby to resign as BC NDP leader after snap election loss to Lorne Doerkson and Conservatives

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Premier David Eby said Saturday night that he will resign as leader of the BC NDP after the New Democrats lost the provincial election to Lorne Doerkson and the BC Conservatives.

The snap election, which Eby called last month with the legislature having a one-seat NDP majority, was held more than two years before the next scheduled vote.

Eby initially said he needed a new mandate to address challenges posed by U.S. President Donald Trump, but later said the election was needed to end frustration with a “stalled out” legislature.

In his concession speech, Eby said he regrets not making that clearer during the campaign.

The decision drew criticism from opposition parties, including over what they described as opportunism amid turmoil in the Conservative camp, which involved near-daily defections under Kerry-Lynne Findlay before she ultimately resigned.

The Conservatives entered the election with an interim leader, Doerkson, described in the report as the fourth person to head the party in the last year.

Municipal leaders also criticized Eby’s decision to call an election while a municipal race was already underway.

Eby became premier in 2022 after John Horgan stepped down, and he was the only candidate eligible for the BC NDP leadership race. He then narrowly defeated John Rustad and the Conservatives in the 2024 provincial election.