British Columbia has elected its first Conservative Party majority in 98 years, swinging Canada's third most populous province to the political right. The Conservative Party of BC leads in 64 of the legislature's 93 districts, with 99% of ballot boxes reporting, according to the provincial elections agency. The BC New Democratic Party has the lead in 27 seats and the Green Party in two. Counting is still ongoing, and final results may take hours or days.
It is an embarrassing defeat for David Eby, the leader of the BC NDP, who called the election last month after four years as premier in an attempt to increase a slim majority. He announced his resignation in a concession speech. BC's new premier will be Lorne Doerkson, a former newspaper publisher and rodeo rider who became the Conservatives' interim leader just over a month ago.
Doerkson promised to "cut red tape like it's never been cut before" and to host a business summit in Vancouver next year. The Conservatives pledged to cut taxes, including basic income tax, end green regulations such as a zero-emission vehicle sales quota, speed permitting, and repeal legislation that requires the province to uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The party aims to double BC's natural gas production by 2032, as several large LNG export facilities for Asia come online.
The approach aligns with the priorities of Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has championed BC LNG terminals as a way to diversify Canada's trade away from the US amid tariffs from President Donald Trump. However, the plans may create friction with BC's more than 200 Indigenous communities, which hold strong legal rights in Canada and could lead to protests and lawsuits. Doerkson said the future would be built "together as partners" with First Nations.
Source: Bloomberg Markets · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing