British Columbia voters elect Conservative majority, NDP leader David Eby resigns
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
British Columbia voters elected a Conservative majority government, with 95 per cent of polls reporting 64 Conservative seats to the NDP's 27.
The snap vote cut the NDP by 20 seats and ended David Eby's run as leader.
Background
David Eby is the B.C. NDP Leader and premier, who called this snap election in September 2026 and resigned as leader on election night. The BC NDP had governed the province since mid-2017, when the late Premier John Horgan struck a deal with the BC Greens to form a minority government; in the October 2024 general election the NDP barely hung on with a single-seat majority as the BC Liberals gave way to the BC Conservatives. The Conservatives had appeared in disarray when Eby called the vote — leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned in September after 13 MLAs left or were ousted — but interim leader Lorne Doerkson took over with most of the departed MLAs rejoining. Eby framed the election around external economic threats, saying in September that "Donald Trump is attacking our workers."
How it unfolded
- Sep 20, 2026BC Conservative MLA Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned as party leader after 13 MLAs either left or were ousted by party leadership.
- Sep 22, 2026BC NDP leader David Eby announced he was calling a snap election, set one week after the 2026 municipal elections.
- Oct 15, 2026 –19, 2026Angus Reid Institute polling found about 75 per cent of Conservative voters were certain of their choice, versus about 54 per cent of NDP voters.
- Oct 21, 2026Advance voting ended; the last day to request a vote-by-mail package had been Oct 18.
- Oct 22, 2026Polls suggested a tight race, with the Conservative Party of B.C. leading slightly by three points in Angus Reid Institute data.
- Oct 24, 2026Polls opened across B.C. from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; The Writ's final projection had the Conservatives favoured in 59 seats with an 81% chance of victory.
- Oct 24, 2026Voters elected a Conservative majority government; with 95 per cent of polls reporting, standings stood at 64 Conservative seats, 27 NDP and 2 Greens, reducing the NDP by 20 seats. David Eby resigned as NDP leader that night.
- Oct 25, 2026As of press time, results showed the Conservatives leading in 62 districts with 47.94% of votes, the NDP in 29 with 37.59% and the Greens in 2 with 10.96%.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Sanjay Jeram, a Simon Fraser University political science lecturer, said the Conservatives' narrow three-point lead was "effectively a tie," leaving room for other parties to make gains.
- Party
- In his concession speech, Eby said several hard-working NDP MLAs were not elected, that it "breaks my heart," and that he accepts full responsibility for the outcome.
- Caution
- Michael Davis, a CentreBC candidate in Vancouver-Point Grey, called his party "fiscally conservative and socially progressive," said he is "done with Mr. Eby" and does not trust the Conservatives, and wants competent government without "racist and homophobic elements."
Still unverified
The Writ's model put the NDP's chances largely on the potential for an under-estimation in the polls, which it called not impossible given the five-point margin.