BC Conservatives projected to form majority government as David Eby resigns

When Doerkson approached the podium on election night, he yelled “B.C. is definitely blue!”

“Together, we seized this opportunity, you guys, and together we voted for a better British Columbia,” Doerkson said.

“And from here, I will do everything in my power to get British Columbia back on track.”

After thanking his family and supporters, Doerkson was quick to thank Eby and Green Party leader Emily Lowan.

“I want to recognize David Eby tonight,” he said.

“Public life asks a lot of us all. It asks a lot of a person and a lot of their family and he has given to this province for years of both of those things. So thank you very much, David Eby.

“I also want to recognize Emily Lowan and congratulate her on an incredible campaign. British Columbians can be grateful for her passion, all that she’s done to inspire thousands of young British Columbians to get involved. So thank you, Emily.”

Doerkson said he is here to work for all of B.C.

“For a very long time, a lot of British Columbians have felt like Victoria forgot about them, like the map maybe stopped at Hope,” he said.

“But tonight, the whole map counts for British Columbia. I believe in British Columbia, and I believe in all of it, and I’ve seen all of that. I’ve spent the better part of my life working and travelling to all corners of our beautiful province.”

Doerkson said the BC Conservatives are going to “supercharge” the province.

“It’s one economy and it runs through every town on our map in British Columbia,” he said.

“That is what a B.C. that works for everyone means. We will be the catalyst, I promise you that.”

Doerkson also said that the BC Conservatives will bring prosperity to the province.

He said he believes in cutting red tape, doubling natural gas production by 2032 and tripling it by 2035.

“A $1,000 tax cut is just the start, with no new taxes in British Columbia,” Doerkson added.

“I believe in health care that is fully and publicly funded. I believe in rural ERs and maternity wards that are actually open.”

It took only about 50 minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m. for Global News to project a Conservative majority.

Eby is projected to win in his riding of Vancouver-Point Grey.

Lowan is projected to win in her riding of Saanich North and the Island.

OneBC leader Dallas Brodie is projected to lose her riding of Vancouver-Quilchena to BC Conservative candidate Carson Binda.

CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko is projected to lose her former seat in Surrey South to BC Conservative candidate Megan Knight.

This is only the seventh time in modern history that B.C. has swapped party rule is such decisive fashion.

Since 1952, there have only been six other instances where a party held a majority only to be replaced by another party with a majority in an election.

David Eby resigns

In a speech to his supporters and staff, Eby resigned as BC NDP leader on Saturday night.

He said he spoke to Doerkson, wished him the best and congratulated him on his success.

“This is an important time,” Eby said.

“This is a critical time for our province and for our country. And I hope for all British Columbians that he protects British Columbia, looks after us and looks after the province.”

Eby said the NDP will form the official opposition, which is not what the party wanted, but he acknowledged it is the result the New Democrats have been handed.

“It has been the honour of my life to serve as premier of British Columbia, to serve as MLA, to work with all of you,” Eby said.

“I can’t think of any better group of people to work with, to service the NDP, a social movement that finds its roots in the Prairies where people just agree that working together was the best way to get forward.”

Inherited an enormous responsibility

In a speech to supporters, Lowan said that the Green Party may have a small caucus, but on Saturday it “inherited an enormous responsibility.”

“And that is to hold a majority Conservative government to account,” she said.

“We are the only party who is equipped to stand against the Conservatives and their existence, and, you know, over the next four years, our job is to be a voice for the many people who will be harmed by their policies, and that is going to require some serious movement building.”

Lowan said the Green Party ran its campaign on a simple idea: to make people’s lives better.

“That’s why we fought for universal child care, a community health centre in every riding and affordable housing for all,” she said.

“It’s why we stood up for a B.C. that leads on climate and builds the good green jobs that we so desperately need for our future. And it’s why we never stopped fighting for a province where everyone belongs, where Indigenous rights are upheld and deeply respected.

“Those people deserve a voice in the legislature, and that is exactly what we’re here to deliver.”

How we got here

The province’s political landscape changed significantly in just over a month.

On Sept. 20, BC Conservative MLA, Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned as leader of the party after 13 MLAs either left or were ousted by party leadership.

Doerkson took over leadership of the party, with most of the MLAs rejoining.

As the election campaign entered the final week, a new poll showed that the BC Conservatives were leading by five points among decided voters.

Doerkson was born in New Westminster, raised in Surrey and built a life for himself and his family in Williams Lake.

He was a newspaper publisher for 20 years before moving into financial planning and becoming a rodeo announcer and volunteering in his community.

Ahead of election day, there was discussion among political experts and pollsters that this could be a change election.

The BC NDP was defending a government that has been in office since 2017.

Cost-of-living pressure, health-care access, street disorder, the toxic drug crisis, housing and a large deficit created the conditions for a change argument.

Eby and the BC NDP campaigned that experience and policy continuity are safer than returning power to a Conservative coalition that has spent much of the legislature divided.

The BC Conservatives almost pulled off a miracle in the 2024 election, losing by just a handful of votes (less than 200 over two ridings) but still brought the NDP down to a one-seat majority.

Then-leader John Rustad was eventually forced to resign by a rebellious caucus. A leadership race was held and far-right social conservative Kerry-Lynne Findlay, a former Conservative MP, unexpectedly won an extremely close race over candidates linked to the former BC Liberal Party.

Findlay then began to purge her party of anyone even remotely linked to the BC Liberals and chaos ensued. After several members quit, many of them joining the fledgling CentreBC party, Findlay resigned and all but one (Elenore Sturko, who became leader of CentreBC) came back into the BC Conservative fold.

Despite Findlay’s exit and the BC Conservatives regaining a sense of normalcy, Eby called the election on Sept. 22 for Oct. 24, taking place one week after the 2026 municipal elections.

In his speech in September, Eby said, “For British Columbians and for Canadians, this is an existential moment. The prime minister has called this a rupture, and he is absolutely right.

“Donald Trump is attacking our workers. He’s targeting our businesses and he is threatening our sovereignty.”

However, Eby changed his messaging shortly after that announcement, moving away from the U.S. president and to the more traditional issues of housing and affordability.

Lowan said just after the municipal election results were in: “David Eby called this snap election two years early for nobody but himself.”

Vancouver mayor-elect Pete Fry endorsed Lowan in the final week before election day, and many wondered whether the municipal election’s changes could echo in the provincial race.

by Amy Judd / Global BC

BC Conservatives projected to form majority government as David Eby resigns

B.C. is definitely blue

David Eby resigns

Inherited an enormous responsibility

How we got here

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