Conservative whistle-stop brings Doerkson to Chilliwack

Conservative whistle-stop brings Doerkson to Chilliwack

Published 5:05 pm Monday, October 19, 2026

Conservative Party of BC leader Lorne Doerkson visited Chilliwack to discuss mills, healthcare and infrastructure projects in a brief campaign meet-and-greet on Monday (Oct. 19).

Á’a:líya Warbus, MLA candidate for Chilliwack-Cultus Lake, and Heather Maahs, MLA candidate for Chilliwack North, were both present at the event but did not speak alongside Doerkson.

Doerkson did not take questions from the media.

The event was held at the Serene Stay & Play Cafe.

Doerkson said that the “damage that’s been done to British Columbia in the last decade is shocking.”

He had just come from a Maple Ridge press conference, where he said he could see frustrations about the forestry industry.

“I come from a place where we have six or seven milling operations within the boundaries of our city, so trust me when I say this: There is no one that isn’t afraid right now (of) what’s happening in our industry and we have to fix it, we absolutely have to fix it and I’m committed to that,” Doerkson said.

“This morning we announced that we will get to 45 million cubic meters,” Doerkson said, referring to the industry’s goal for annual timber harvest, but noted that industry isn’t on track to achieve half of that amount.

“That is not because a forester hasn’t said it was sustainable. In fact, that’s exactly what they said. They said that we can do that sustainably in this province, but because of an absolutely disastrous policy around permitting and other things in this province, it is costing us all so much, and I am absolutely committed to a better path forward for all of us.”

He also discussed increasing LNG production in the province.

“This is an industry in British Columbia that when you speak to the representatives of this business they talk through trillions of dollars in income, and what we need in British Columbia is billions. And that is what the problem is in this province,” Doerkson said. “We have an industry that is sitting there and they will not capitalize on it. And it is shocking to me because the opportunity is massive. Five years, 10 years ago, we could have had three or four of these plants up and running. And why is that good? It’s not just good for British Columbians, frankly it’s good for the world.

“This is a cleaner opportunity for other countries to capitalize on a cleaner resource than they are currently using to generate power and other things in their countries. This is a massive opportunity for British Columbia, and when I say massive, I mean billions of dollars. I also mean that that can happen almost immediately.”

He said that it is not about “what might happen if we double LNG output in this province in 2032,” but is also about “building and creating GDP” and jobs that have been lost in the province.

“42,000 people in this province have lost a full-time job and that is shocking. It’s unacceptable,” Doerkson said. “We absolutely need to build British Columbia.”

He says there have been more than 40 new taxes introduced in British Columbia.

“For heaven’s sake, we cannot continue to tax our residents at the rate that we’re taxing it, and you can’t build a province on taxation. You have to build the economy. You have to create a reason to create that taxation,” Doerkson said. “That means when we work, when we have a job, we spend our money right? We buy a car, we buy a house, we buy all the things that we do normally tax as a regular part of our business, and that is why it is so incredibly important.

“Today, and throughout this campaign, we’ve been announcing zero increases and no new taxes.”

He then spoke about seniors, mentioning changes to the Province of British Columbia Property Tax Deferment Program.

“But what just occurred a few months back, where senior citizens had the ability to defer their property taxes and that was taken away just a few months back where seniors used to borrow at prime minus two,” Doerkson said. “Now, the government introduced in their budget prime plus two, and so now it’s getting very expensive to do that very thing.

“Well, I can assure you that somebody like my mom can use every single dime that she’s getting, which by the way is not very much and the government still wants more taxation from her. We will reverse that immediately.”

Doerkson said that, if elected, he will temporarily reduce taxation on alcohol made in B.C.

“The reason is that this is an industry in the province that is $3.6 billion. That’s a big whack of money, but we absolutely have to do this for the 20,000 people that work in this industry and would like to continue to do it. We are absolutely committed to supporting the industry, but unlike my competitor David Eby, we are looking, every chance we get, at both sides of the ledger,” Doerkson said.

He says the pause on taxation will cost the province between $280 million and $300 million, but that it would provide an opportunity to grow business in British Columbia.

“Why is that? Because craft producers have been asking for two years to get on the shelves in British Columbia, and that hasn’t happened for all of them. There is a massive opportunity to celebrate these ‘Made in British Columbia’ products and sell the heck out of them to the world, to the rest of Canada and, of course, to British Columbia, and I fully intend to capitalize on that in every single way I can.”

Doerkson described B.C.’s healthcare system as “shocking.” He said he would issue $50 million to “help bolster the support of the frontlines, but also will provide security.”

“We have nurses that are not working in the system because they don’t feel safe or they won’t come back, and the reality is we have to change that,” Doerkson said. “We have nurses sitting a block away from a closed hospital … We need to grow our forces there and we need to support the frontline, but we absolute have to create a safe place for our nurses to work.”

He says he has spoken to nurses who say they have “not been served by this province.”

“We have to commit to our healthcare workers. We will fully fund healthcare every single year. It will be the very first thing we do if I’m elected and I actually think that’s going to happen now,” Doerkson said.

Returning to seniors and long-term care, Doerkson said his party would restart the “seven projects that we’ve had the BC NDP cancel.”

“These are seven long-term care facilities and we are committed to building them as soon as we possibly can,” Doerkson said.

Doerkson then spoke about infrastructure projects in B.C., saying that the “mismanagement when it comes to our capital projects is staggering.”

“When we take a look at our Massey Tunnel, that has now cost residents about $600 million. Nine years in the making and it still does not have an environmental permit to go forth. What in the hell is actually happening here? I can appreciate that David Eby is pushing back on that, but the reality is that we’re going to build a bridge. We’re going to build it for $6 billion. We’re going to build it in five years,” Doerkson said. “That’s not me saying it, and in case you haven’t noticed, it’s not me that’s going to build this bridge, it’s British Columbians.

“And with the money that is left over from our savings, we have announced a hospital in Surrey that would be for children and women.”

He says B.C. should be excited for the planned hospital.

“Guys, we are completely committed to making a better path forward for British Columbia. We are completely committed to all of you, and I want you to know that I mean that from the bottom of my heart,” Doerkson said. “I am a pretty simple guy. I come from Williams Lake. I’ve got two daughters and a granddaughter, and I love them more than anything.

“But I love British Columbia and we cannot stay on the path that we are on.”

Doerkson then met with audience members, shaking hands and posing for pictures.

Provincial election day is Oct. 24.