BC Premier David Eby visited Government House on Tuesday, September 22, to request that Lieutenant Governor Wendy Cocchia dissolve the legislative assembly for a provincial election to be held. General voting day will be Saturday, October 24.
Here is what you need to know from the early days of the campaign.
Eby’s election call
In his public remarks after visiting Government House, Eby framed a ‘Build BC Strong’ theme for the campaign, speaking about the impact of the trade war with the Trump administration, saying that this election is to focus on what can be controlled by the province in the current context, and pointing specifically to threats to BC jobs, businesses, and economic security. Public domain polling has consistently shown that affordability and cost-of-living, along with housing and health care, have been top concerns for BC voters throughout the trade war. Eby noted that British Columbians deserve a choice in the direction for the province and who leads it through this critical phase
The legislative context
Eby won a slim majority of one seat in the BC legislature in the last provincial general election, which was held on October 19, 2024. In early July 2026, his majority increased by one seat when MLA Amelia Boultbee (Penticton-Summerland) joined the BC NDP caucus. However, with the late-August passing of MLA Joan Amshen Phillip (Vancouver-Strathcona), Eby was set to head back into the fall legislative session, originally scheduled to begin on October 5, with a one seat margin and a contentious agenda ahead.
The political context
The inauguration of US President Donald Trump in January 2025 brought immediate-term complications and longer-term risk to Canada. Governments at all levels quickly pivoted on previous commitments to focus on drivers of economic stability, growth, and self-sufficiency such as major projects. Even with that shift in focus, uncertainty and fiscal constraints have impacted all provinces. In BC, part of that impact has come in the form of high deficits.
The period since the last provincial election in 2024 and particularly since the start of the US trade war last year has been characterized by extreme volatility in BC’s political landscape with new parties emerging and unprecedented movement between and among parties in terms of both staff and elected officials.
As the election got underway, newly-appointed interim BC Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson (Cariboo-Chilcotin) welcomed a number of former BC Conservative MLAs back to the party, including Peter Milobar (Kamloops Centre) who was named leader of CentreBC just a week before. Speaking to the media on the first day of the campaign, Doerkson said the party is now united and ready for the campaign after months of turbulence.
At the same time, movement from the BC Conservatives to Dallas Brodie’s OneBC started with Brent Chapman, MLA for Surrey South and partner to Kerry-Lynne Findlay, leading the way.
The day after the election call, BC Green Party leader Emily Lowan announced that she will be running in retiring BC Green Party MLA Rob Botterell’s Saanich North and the Islands seat. Also on Wednesday, former BC Green Party leader Andrew Weaver announced he will run for CentreBC in the Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding he represented as MLA from 2013 to 2020.
Also in the early days of the campaign, four BC NDP cabinet ministers have announced they are not running. Minister of Agriculture and Food Lana Popham (Saanich South), recently-appointed Minister of Health Ravi Kahlon (Delta North), and Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene (Richmond-Steveston), and former Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Brenda Bailey (Vancouver-South Granville) are not seeking re-election. Former journalist Richard Zussman has been named the BC NDP candidate in Popham’s riding. Candidate announcements for Delta North , Vancouver-South Granville, and Richmond-Steveston are expected soon.
Impact on other election campaigns
The provincial campaign will run concurrently with the local general election campaign that officially got underway on September 19 and culminates with the final voting day on Saturday, October 17.
The Abbotsford-Mission by-election, in which former BC Conservative Party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay is a candidate, has been cancelled and voting ended. Voters in that riding, where advance voting had already started ahead of the original voting day of Saturday, September 26, will cast ballots along with the rest of the province on October 24.
Hilltop can Help
Hilltop is focused on supporting organizations as they navigate this changing political climate – and we’ll be tracking political and policy developments throughout the campaign to do just that.
Reach out today to make sure you’re ready no matter what comes next.