British Columbians are going to the polls about two years ahead of schedule, after Premier David Eby called an early election to be held on Oct. 24.
asserted
Eby → go → Oct.
Here’s a look at the party leaders in a political landscape that is very different from the one that emerged after the last election in October 2024.
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that → ’ → October
DAVID EBY, B.C. NDP
Eby’s New Democrats clung onto their majority in 2024 by their fingertips, their one-seat margin in the legislature confirmed by Garry Begg’s 22-vote win in Surrey-Guildford after a recount.
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margin → cling → recount
Eby would nickname Begg “Landslide,” but the joke belied the seriousness of the situation for Eby, whose majority would be tested by differences within his own party about the fate of its Indigenous legislation, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s Act.
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majority → nickname → People
When he sought to change parts of it, the threat of losing a confidence vote forced him to back down this year.
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threat → seek → him
But while his majority is slim, the margin between the NDP caucus and that of the B.C. Conservatives has only grown since 2024, going from 47-44 to 47-29 as legislators bled from the official Opposition ranks.
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legislators → grow → ranks
Despite a host of issues having beleaguered his government, from DRIPA to the growing deficit, health care to drug decriminalization and street disorder, Eby has recently been enjoying a bump in his poll numbers.
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Eby → beleaguer → numbers
Born in 1976, in Kitchener, Ont., he spent his pre-politics career as a human rights lawyer, including running the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, and also playing guitar and singing in a band called World of Science.
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he → bear → Science
He became a political giant-killer by beating then-premier Christie Clark in Vancouver-Point Grey in the 2013 election, later holding portfolios, including attorney general and the minister of housing under the NDP government of John Horgan.
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He → become → Horgan
Eby was acclaimed leader of the party and premier in 2022, replacing Horgan, after environmentalist Anjali Appadurai was disqualified from the leadership race.
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Appadurai → acclaim → race
He is married to family physician Dr. Cailey Lynch and they have three children.
LORNE DOERKSON, B.C. CONSERVATIVES
Interim B.C. Conservative leader Doerkson is not exactly a household name in British Columbia.
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Doerkson → have → Columbia
One of his predecessors, John Rustad, acknowledged as much on Monday, telling a news conference at the legislature that there were “obviously lots of people” in B.C. who don’t know the Cariboo-Chilcotin legislator.
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However, he praised Doerkson as a “real quality individual” and said he would be happy to have him lead the party into an election if he wanted.
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he → acknowledge → election
“I’ve worked with him for many years.
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I → work → years
His heart is in the right place, and he truly cares and believes in the people of this province, and he wants to really make a difference,” said Rustad.
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Rustad → care → difference
Doerkson was a consensus choice by the party’s board to lead the Conservatives after Sunday’s resignation of Kerry-Lynne Findlay, whose four-month tenure was marred by fierce infighting and 13 resignations or expulsions from caucus, as she rooted out opponents.
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she → lead → opponents
Doerkson moved swiftly to try to put that period behind the party, welcoming five MLAs, including Rustad, back to the caucus on Monday.
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Doerkson → move → Monday
He may command the official opposition caucus and its 29 members, but whether or not Doerkson will be able to become more than an interim premier remains an open question — an interim Conservative leader is prohibited by the party’s constitution from seeking the leadership on a permanent basis.
uncertain
leader → command → basis
Doerkson was first elected in Cariboo—Chilcotin in 2020 as a member of the BC Liberal Party, which rebranded as B.C. United, before he crossed the floor to join the Conservatives.
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he → elect → Conservatives
He was re-
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He → re → ?
His party profile says he’s “honoured to represent one of British Columbia’s largest and most diverse constituencies.”
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he → say → constituencies
It says that before entering politics, he worked in small business, publishing, auto sales and financial services, while volunteering as president of the local Rotary Club, vice-president of the Williams Lake Stampede, and a director with the Chamber of Commerce.
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he → say → Commerce
The former publisher with the Black Press group has also served as president of the BC Community Newspaper Association.
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publisher → serve → Association
Doerkson’s social media output is relatively scant, having last posted on social media platform X in August, while the slim public content of his Facebook page includes numerous family photos.
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content → post → photos
PETER MILOBAR, CENTREBC
Peter Milobar is the interim leader of eight former Conservative MLAs, most of them having defected from that party over the leadership of Findlay.
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most → defect → Findlay
Initially they planned to form a new party, but last Friday they joined CentreBC, with Milobar taking over from Mike Bernier as leader.
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Milobar → plan → leader
Although they are still listed by the legislature as Independents, the group of eight represents the third-largest grouping in the legislature.
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group → list → legislature
They have pitched themselves as a centre-right option that Milobar has described as a “stable, serious” alternative to the NDP.
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Milobar → pitch → NDP
Milobar, a former Opposition finance critic, has represented provincial ridings in Kamloops, B.C., since 2017 and was the mayor of Kamloops for three terms before that.
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Milobar → represent → that
He was among the BC United legislators who joined the Conservatives when United suspended its campaign ahead of the 2024 provincial election.
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United → join → election
He ran to replace Rustad but was eliminated in the first round of voting.
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He → run → voting
Milobar clashed with Findlay, the eventual winner, during a leadership debate.
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Milobar → clash → debate
Findlay suggested that Milobar had “a conflict-of-interest issue,” because his wife had worked for the Kamloops Indian Band.
uncertain
wife → suggest → Band
The moment infuriated Milobar.
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moment → infuriate → Milobar
“Just say it: My wife is Indigenous so you think I’m in conflict of interest?”
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I → say → interest
He later called Findlay’s line of attack “so ridiculous.”
Milobar was born in 1970 in Edmonton and has three children.
EMILY LOWAN, B.C. GREEN PARTY
Emily Lowan has been leader of the Green Party since last year when she won a race to replace Sonia Furstenau, who lost her bid for re-election to the legislature the year before.
Lowan, who does not have a seat in the legislature, won the leadership on a promise to build a “formidable political movement strong enough to take on this province’s billionaires, its largest corporations, and big oil, who take far more than they give.”
She leads two legislators, Rob Botterell in Saanich North and the Islands and Jeremy Valeriote in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.
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She → call → Sky
The party said this year it was not going to renew an accord with the NDP aimed at helping stabilize the provincial government’s one-seat majority.
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it → say → majority
Lowan told reporters that the government’s failure to complete two thirds of its first-year commitments was “not a strong foundation of trust to build on” after one year of the deal.
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failure → tell → deal
Lowan, 26, previously served on student council at the University of Victoria.
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Lowan → serve → Victoria
DALLAS BRODIE, ONEBC
Dallas Brodie is the interim leader of OneBC, which is poised to gain official party status in the legislature as it welcomes Brent Chapman.
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it → poise → Chapman
The South Surrey MLA announced he was leaving the B.C. Conservatives on Monday, just before the election call.
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he → announce → call
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
