BC Election 2026: Conservatives Win Majority, Lorne Doerkson to Be Premier

The BC Conservatives won a majority government in the provincial election of Saturday, October 24, 2026. The Canadian Press called the race about an hour after polls closed at 8 p.m. PT, and CBC News and CTV News also projected a Conservative majority. Interim leader Lorne Doerkson becomes premier-designate, and the BC NDP, in power since 2017, becomes the Official Opposition. Results are preliminary until Elections BC's final count. Sources: The Canadian Press, CBC News, CTV News.

On preliminary election-night results (BC Ballot tracker, 11:07 p.m. PT, 7,052 of 7,268 ballot boxes reported), the Conservatives led in 64 of the 93 ridings, the NDP in 27 and the Greens in 2. CentreBC and OneBC led nowhere. A majority requires 47 seats. These are leads, not declared seats: mail-in and some other ballots are only counted in the final count, so a few close ridings could still change. Sources: BC Ballot, Elections BC, Global News.

Preliminary figures put the Conservatives at about 48.0 percent, the NDP at 37.4 percent and the Greens at about 11 percent, with CentreBC at 1.6 percent and OneBC at 1.5 percent (BC Ballot tracker, 11:07 p.m. PT). For comparison, in 2024 the NDP won 44.87 percent and the Conservatives 43.28 percent. Sources: BC Ballot, Wikipedia (2026 British Columbia general election).

Lorne Doerkson, 58, is the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin, in BC's Interior, and the interim leader of the BC Conservatives since September 20, 2026. Born in New Westminster and raised in Surrey, he worked in newspaper publishing (Black Press) and financial planning in Williams Lake before politics. He was first elected in 2020 as a BC Liberal, crossed to the Conservatives in May 2024 and was re-elected in 2024. He took over after Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned and will become BC's 38th premier. Sources: Daily Hive, The Canadian Press, Wikipedia.

Yes. In his concession speech on election night, David Eby announced he is stepping down as leader of the BC NDP. "It breaks my heart, and I accept full responsibility for that outcome," he said, adding that it had been "the honour of my life to serve as premier of British Columbia." He remains premier until Doerkson's government is sworn in. Sources: CTV News, Global News.

Yes, narrowly. The Canadian Press projected that Eby held Vancouver-Point Grey, and preliminary results gave him a lead of about 540 votes over Conservative Alex McMillan with all 70 ballot boxes counted. The margin can still move in the final count. Sources: CHEK News, BC Ballot, CTV News.

Premier David Eby called the election on September 22, 2026, about two years before the fixed date of October 2028. He said BC needed a renewed mandate to confront economic threats from US President [Donald Trump](/en/people/donald-trump/) and reduce the province's dependence on the American market, and later argued that governing with a one-seat majority had left the legislature "stalled out." The call came two days after Doerkson replaced Findlay, amid turmoil on the right. Sources: Daily Hive, The Canadian Press, National Observer.

The party went through four leaders in about two years. John Rustad, who won 44 seats in 2024, was removed by the board and caucus in December 2025; Kerry-Lynne Findlay won the leadership on May 30, 2026, then resigned on September 20 after several MLAs called on her to quit. Many MLAs had left the caucus, some for the new CentreBC party. Doerkson brought most of them back, including seven of the eight who had announced a move to CentreBC. Sources: The Canadian Press, Wikipedia.

Not announced yet. As of October 25, the NDP had not named an interim leader or set a timeline for a leadership race. Political scientist Stewart Prest said there would likely be calls for Eby to step aside quickly. Ministers Adrian Dix, Niki Sharma and Nina Krieger were projected to keep their seats. Sources: CTV News, BNN Bloomberg.

No date had been announced as of October 25, 2026. Eby stays premier until Doerkson and his cabinet are sworn in by the Lieutenant Governor. Elections BC's final count, which includes mail-in ballots, is scheduled for November 6 to 10, and a transition period is typical before a new government takes office. Sources: BC Ballot, Elections BC.

The Greens held 2 seats: leader Emily Lowan won Saanich North and the Islands and Jeremy Valeriote led in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky. CentreBC won none: leader Elenore Sturko lost Surrey South to Conservative Megan Knight. OneBC leader Dallas Brodie lost Vancouver-Quilchena to Conservative Carson Binda. Sources: Global News, BNN Bloomberg, BC Ballot.

Possibly. Several ridings were within 100 votes on preliminary results: Burnaby South-Metrotown (NDP's Paul Choi ahead by 68), Ladysmith-Oceanside (Conservative Kris McNichol by 87) and Cowichan Valley (Conservative Bert Chen by 50, with boxes still to report). BC Ballot notes a recount may be requested in that range, with an October 28 deadline. None would change the majority. Source: BC Ballot.

Doerkson pledged no new taxes, an income tax cut of about $1,000, raising the basic personal exemption from $13,216 to $32,000, doubling LNG production and cutting red tape. The party also promised to repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and end the SOGI guidelines in schools. Sources: The Canadian Press, CTV News.

Nearly a century ago. The last premier from the Conservative Party was Simon Fraser Tolmie, elected in 1928, who left office in 1933. The party took under 2 percent of the vote in 2020 and rose after the collapse of BC United (formerly the BC Liberals). Sources: The Canadian Press, CBC News, Daily Hive.