On October 24, British Columbians will head to the polls to elect their local MLA, two years ahead of schedule, and just one week after municipal elections across the province. The controversy surrounding the early election call is defining the campaign, as British Columbians wonder whether the election should be happening at all.

BC Premier David Eby, leader of the BC New Democratic Party (NDP), called a snap election on September 22, citing the threat posed by US President Trump. He likened Trump’s threat to wildfires, saying:

“We need to build a firebreak around the things that make British Columbia special… A firebreak against our dependence on the United States, and a firebreak against the Trump-style politics that threaten to infect our province.”1

Eby’s attempt to justify holding such an early election has not been well received by voters, opposition parties, or municipal election candidates.

Several candidates running for a position on Kelowna’s City Council expressed their dissatisfaction with the overlap of campaigns. Trevor McAleese, for example, now finds himself having to explain that he’s not affiliated with a political party when speaking to constituents.2

For voters, the overlapping campaigns make it difficult to keep up with the candidates, policy debates, and the distinction between local and provincial jurisdiction. The closeness of the elections will strain voters’ spare time, which candidates expect will mean a low voter turnout in one or both of the elections.

Eby’s election call has also faced backlash from opposition parties. Many have interpreted the decision as an opportunistic response to the chaos within the Conservative Party of BC. Eby announced the election just two days after the resignation of the Conservative leader, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, following a disastrous few months in charge.

During Findlay’s four-month leadership, 13 Conservative MLAs either left the party or were expelled. Along with three earlier defections to the newly established rival parties CentreBC and OneBC, this reduced the Conservatives from 44 to 28 seats.

On September 21, the party appointed interim leader Lorne Doerkson, the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin, marking the third change in Conservative leadership in less than one year. The same day, five MLAs rejoined the party, including former party leader John Rustad.

The Conservatives have largely reunited under Doerkson, with the party initially running 93 candidates, one in each of the 93 provincial electoral districts. After dropping the candidate for Victoria-Beacon Hill due to controversial social media posts, the party now has 92 candidates, 32 of whom were MLAs in the recently dissolved Legislative Assembly. The NDP is also running 92 candidates, 39 of whom are incumbent MLAs.3

Since Doerkson’s appointment, the NDP has lost its lead in the polls, with the Conservatives now leading by a slim margin among decided voters.4 The rapid Conservative recovery highlights the risk associated with Eby’s election gamble, especially with the NDP already holding a narrow legislative majority, having won 47 of the 93 seats in the 2024 election.

With Eby’s election call worsening his already poor approval ratings and Doerkson’s recent appointment, party leadership is also a central issue in this election. A recent poll found that 78% of British Columbians spoke negatively about Eby, while 55% spoke negatively about Doerkson.5

The NDP’s campaign against the Conservatives emphasizes Doerkson’s status as an interim leader, as Article 12 of the BC Conservatives’ Constitution clarifies that an interim leader cannot be a Leadership Candidate.6 This means Doerkson could not legally become Premier if the Conservatives win the election.

In addition to the NDP and the Conservatives, three parties are running over thirty candidates: OneBC, Centre BC, and the BC Green Party.7

In June 2025, OneBC was established by two expelled Conservative MLAs, Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong, with the former becoming the party leader.

In March 2025, Centre BC was founded by a former BC United MLA. It is now led by the former BC United, Conservative and independent MLA, Elenore Sturko.

The Greens have been led by 26-year-old Emily Lowan since 2025. The party is currently polling around 10%, the highest after the NDP and the Conservatives.4

With the election taking place on Saturday, October 24, and advance voting from October 16–21, constituents will cast their vote less than five weeks after the election was called. For the parties, the short timeline has meant a rushed campaign, with full platforms released only one or two weeks before election day.

The late release of official campaign platforms has heightened the importance of the leadership question, especially with regard to Eby’s election call and Doerkson’s interim status.

British Columbians must decide not only which party’s platform they support, but also who they trust to lead the province.