British Columbia has voted for a change of government. The B.C. Conservative Party, led by interim leader Lorne Doerkson, is projected to have won a majority in the province’s Legislative Assembly in the October 24 provincial election, ending nine years of government by the New Democratic Party (NDP).
The result is the Conservatives’ first majority government in nearly a century, their first since 1928. CBC News and other major outlets projected the majority within hours of polls closing on Saturday night, as returns from across the province pointed to a decisive shift.
A snap election that backfired
The election was called two years early. Premier David Eby, who had led the NDP government, called the snap vote in September 2026 in the hope of winning a stronger, fourth term for his party. Instead, voters handed the government to the opposition.
Eby conceded in a speech from Vancouver on election night. He congratulated Doerkson on becoming the province’s next premier and announced his resignation as NDP leader.
“Serving this province has been the honour of a lifetime,” Eby said in a statement shared after the concession. “I am so proud of the progress we’ve made and everything we’ve done together to make B.C. a stronger, fairer, more caring place.”
Doerkson thanked voters in his own election-night message, saying British Columbians had “voted for change” and for “a government that will listen, keep life affordable, and never take your hard-earned money for granted.”
The numbers behind the win
Early returns reported by Elections BC pointed to a commanding Conservative lead. A live count based on Elections BC figures put the Conservatives ahead in 64 of the province’s 93 ridings, with the NDP ahead in 27 and the Greens in 2, with 47 seats needed for a majority.
Another tally published on election night showed the Conservatives on about 48 percent of the popular vote, ahead of the NDP on about 38 percent and the Greens on about 11 percent, with counting still under way. Final certified results may differ slightly from election-night projections, as mail-in and absentee ballots are added to the count.
The Conservatives’ win is a remarkable turnaround for a party that was engulfed in a leadership crisis only weeks before the campaign. Doerkson, the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin, took over as interim leader in the final weeks before the vote and is himself projected to have won a third term in his own riding.
What the new government campaigned on
Affordability and the economy dominated the campaign. Doerkson criticised the NDP’s plan to raise taxes on income over $190,000, describing it as an attack on doctors, and promised to supercharge the economy through tax cuts and a significant expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production.
The Conservatives’ platform promised more than $11 billion in tax relief and additional government revenue from stronger economic growth, according to coverage of the party’s plan. The party’s own projections still showed a deficit of about $10.8 billion in 2029-30, with no balanced budget during the four-year outlook.
The province’s finances will be one of the new government’s first tests. According to the province’s September financial update, B.C. is forecasting a $13.8-billion deficit for the 2026-27 fiscal year, after several years of significant operating deficits.
Housing and the drug crisis are also expected to feature prominently on the new government’s agenda, along with managing the province’s relationship with an increasingly protectionist United States under President Donald Trump, the very threat Eby had cited to justify calling the early election.
A historic political shift for Canada’s west coast
British Columbia is Canada’s third most populous province, and the result marks one of the most significant political realignments in the province in decades. The NDP had governed for nearly a decade; it now returns to the opposition benches.
The Conservatives also made major gains in Surrey, one of the province’s most closely watched battlegrounds, where several contests shifted from the NDP to the Conservatives, according to preliminary riding-level results.
OneBC interim leader Dallas Brodie lost her riding of Vancouver-Quilchena to Conservative candidate Carson Binda, the Canadian Press decision desk projected.
For now, the province’s new political colour is clear. Doerkson will lead B.C.’s first Conservative government in nearly 100 years, and the snap election that was meant to protect a progressive government has instead ended one.
What happens next
Doerkson is expected to form a government in Victoria in the coming days, once the final count is complete and the formal transfer of power takes place. The new premier will face immediate questions about how to deliver on his tax and economic promises while managing a record deficit, and how to handle the housing and drug crises with a markedly different approach from his predecessor.
Sources: CBC News projections as reported by the Fraser Valley News Network; Elections BC live results via BC Ballot; NPI’s Cascadia Advocate; Sunday Guardian Live; Wall Street Next. Final certified results from Elections BC may differ slightly from election-night projections.