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David Eby’s early election gamble may have reversed the B.C. NDP’s fortunes, at least according to one opinion poll.
New data from the Angus Reid Institute shows the B.C. Conservatives, led by Lorne Doerkson, holding 43 per cent support among respondents — an eight-point lead over the NDP’s 35 per cent.
It’s a change from the four point lead the governing New Democrats had over the Official Opposition before Kerry Lynne Findlay resigned last week.
“There’s a lot of unhappiness with this government and now there’s some, ‘How dare you go to the polls,'” said Shachi Kurl, Angus Reid Institute president.
Two-thirds of those polled — including half of the NDP voters — say Eby is putting his own interests ahead of the interests of British Columbians.
Katrina Chen, a former NDP cabinet minister who was on Eby’s leadership team in 2022, says Eby’s decision to call a snap election is “risky.”
He “still has lot of work to do” to prove to British Columbians that his government’s policies are putting people first, Chen said.
“People are really watching and waiting to see how Eby is going to prove himself that he is investing in people, which is good for our economy. It’s not just focusing on the trade war alone,” she said.
This week, four NDP cabinet ministers announced they’re not seeking re-election.
They include: Ravi Kahlon, who has been in charge of the housing, jobs and health portfolios and has long been considered a B.C. NDP leadership contender; Brenda Bailey, who stepped back as finance minister after a cancer diagnosis this summer; Lana Popham, a five-term MLA who has served as agriculture minister; and Kelly Greene, who served as the emergency management minister.
Greene has been critical of the NDP government’s decision to give the green light to the expansion of the Tilbury LNG facility in Delta.
Chen says the loss of those MLAs is “definitely going to make an impact.”
“This election, given it’s two years early, does put a lot of current politicians, incumbents into a very tough position in terms of: ‘Do I do this again, my riding is facing a lot of challenges.’ People may not be happy with this government,” she said.
During a campaign stop in Maple Ridge, Eby again made U.S. Donald Trump’s tariffs the focus, as he laid out his pledge to set minimum requirements for B.C. and Canadian building materials in public infrastructure projects.
He said if re-elected, he would ensure that 70 per cent of the steel used to build the first phase of the North Coast Transmission Line to Prince Rupert will be Canadian.
Doerkson says the NDP government had nine years to make B.C.’s economy strong enough to withstand threats from south of the border. He called the latest promises nothing but election slogans.
During questions from reporters on Thursday, Eby defended an earlier speech that compared Trump to a raging wildfire that must be stopped with a “firebreak.”
Eby said it’s an apt analogy for British Columbians coming together and supporting their neighbours in the face of a serious threat.
“It is the example, in my opinion, of the spirit of British Columbia,” he said, pointing to firefighters travelling between provinces to where help was needed most.
“I will never apologize for standing up for British Columbians and calling on them to stand together in the face of a threat like this.”
B.C. NDP Leader David Eby called an early provincial election to be held on Oct. 24, citing the ‘existential’ threat of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war on Canada. Eby also dismissed questions about the ethics of calling the vote while the B.C. Conservative Party is in disarray.
Doerkson said on Tuesday that Eby’s comment was a “shocking” metaphor, particularly to any British Columbians who have fled a wildfire.
He called on Eby to “apologize to British Columbians who have been so rawly affected by fires in this province.”
