B.C. premier says NDP election ready amid snap-vote speculation

B.C. premier says NDP election ready amid snap-vote speculation

Published 5:30 pm Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Premier David Eby responded to speculation that he is considering calling a snap election to take advantage of B.C. Conservative Party disarray by saying he is “not making any announcements today about election dates,” but his party is “election-ready,” as it holds on to a razor-thin majority.

“We have a one-vote majority. And so we’re election-ready as the NDP,” he said. “Elections BC should be election-ready.”

He also acknowledged that he told the NDP caucus he has tapped his former interim chief of staff, Cheryl Oates, to run the party’s next provincial campaign.

“She’s run campaigns across the country, and I have great faith in her ability to run a campaign like that,” he said.

Elections BC confirmed it is preparing for a possible snap election before the next scheduled provincial contest in 2028, noting it must continually adjust its readiness depending on the likelihood of an election call.

“Based on the current landscape in B.C., timelines for procuring election materials in the face of global supply chain challenges, and recent public commentary and speculation, we have determined we need to assume an increased readiness state,” Elections BC said in an email.

Elections BC is currently inquiring about space availability for district electoral offices and voting places, restocking supplies such as ballot boxes, and preparing to recruit election officials.

Speculation of an election call is percolating as the B.C. Conservative Party fractured in recent weeks. Nine MLAs have quit the party since mid-August, complaining about Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s leadership style.

Seven of those MLAs have joined together under interim leader Peter Milobar to form a new party. They can’t name and officially register it until the Abbotsford-Mission by-election — which Findlay is running in — concludes on Sept. 26.

As a result, Eby’s electoral prospects have increased drastically in recent weeks.

According to an Angus Reid poll released on Wednesday, his approval rating is up 10 percentage points this month.

Another poll, released by Ipsos on Tuesday, suggests support for the B.C. Conservatives is sinking under Findlay, down 8 percentage points from the 2024 election and now trailing the NDP 45 per cent to 35 per cent.

B.C. Green Party Leader Emily Lowan said the NDP appears to be trying to extend its tenure instead of tending to constituent needs.

“It’s disappointing to me that Eby is reaching for electoral opportunism rather than being laser-focused on improving the material well-being of British Columbians,” she said.