B.C. Election Results: Conservative wave sweeps through B.C. as David Eby's snap election call backfires

The B.C. Conservative party, which just a month ago was wracked with infighting and looked on the verge of collapse, has won a super-majority government, toppling a nine-year NDP regime that called a snap election in an effort to take advantage of their opponent’s chaos.

Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson, who accepted the party reins while in Amsterdam airport on his way back from a holiday in South Africa, will now lead the first government formed by his party in almost 100 years.

As of Saturday night at 10 p.m., the Conservatives had won 51 ridings and were in the lead in 11 more, decimating the NDP in Surrey, Delta, and Richmond, as well as in historic centre-right strongholds in the north and Interior of the province.

The result was hard to imagine back in mid-September when then-leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned after overseeing the dismantling of party and caucus staff.

Leaked audio that depicted her handpicked chief of staff making racist comments and her operations director appearing to plan the theft of party coffers led to the departure or expulsion of 13 MLAs from caucus who were upset with the direction Findlay was taking.

It was also revealed the party had hired a private investigator to look into who was leaking the scandalous comments to an anonymous social media account called the FindlayFiles.

Doerkson took over the party on October 20, two days before NDP Leader David Eby called a snap election and in 48 hours was able to bring back most of the MLAs who left under Findlay and launch headlong into an election campaign.

“B.C. is definitely Blueeeeeeee,” an excited Doerkson shouted to a crowd of roughly 500 people at the Rocky Mountaineer Station in Vancouver.

“I have watched a lot of people get thrown at a rodeo, and I’ll say I’ve been thrown a few times myself. But what I have learned from that is that you pick up yourself, dust yourself off, and you get back on, and the crowd gets to its feet for you because you’re trying.”

He promised to “bring investment back to British Columbia” and said that he is “going to get to work unlocking the endless possibilities of our province and our people. In every corner of it, I am ready to deliver for all British Columbians.”

Much of the party’s existing caucus has been re-elected and will be joined by high-profile candidates such as West Vancouver-Capilano’s Caroline Elliott, who finished second in the party’s May leadership race, and Jaime Stein in Vancouver-Langara, making forming a cabinet a tough task for the new premier.

A subdued Eby told supporters he had spoken with Doerkson and “acknowledged his success in electing a majority government tonight.”

“I wished him the best,” he said.

“The people of British Columbia have asked us to be the official Opposition, which is obviously not the result any of us wanted. A number of my colleagues … were not elected tonight. It breaks my heart and I accept full responsibility for that outcome. “

After highlighting some of the projects that had been built or were started under the NDP government — including the new St. Paul’s Hospital, the Sen̓áḵw rental housing development, and the Broadway subway line — Eby said it had been “the honour of my life” to serve as premier.

He said it was with a “heavy heart” that he would be offering his resignation as leader of the B.C. NDP.

“It is time for new leadership within our party.”

The NDP will have to go about the difficult task of rebuilding under a new leader after falling from 47 seats to potentially less than 30, with cabinet ministers Jessie Sunner of Surrey-Newton, Jodie Wickens of Coquitlam-Burke Mountain, and Jagrup Brar of Surrey-Fleetwood going down to defeat.

Lisa Beare of Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, Anne Kang of Burnaby Centre and Terry Yung of Vancouver-Yaletown were some of the other high-profile members trailing late on election night.

The Greens, meanwhile, stood pat, with party leader Emily Lowan getting herself elected in Saanich North and the Islands, previously held by Rob Botterell of the Greens, and Jeremy Valeriote returning for a second term in Saanich North and the Islands.