Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, whose wife was NDP MLA, endorses BC Green Leader Lowan

VICTORIA – Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, a longtime BC NDP ally whose late wife was a legislator for the party, has endorsed Green Party Leader Emily Lowan.

Lowan has posted the endorsement from the president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs on social media, with Phillip saying he is “totally honoured” to endorse the candidate for Saanich North and the Islands.

Phillip had been a strong supporter of the NDP, with his wife Joan elected as a New Democrat MLA in 2024 before she died this summer.

Stewart Phillip had backed the NDP in 2024, standing alongside Leader David Eby and telling an audience in Victoria that a vote for the Greens was a vote for the B.C. Conservatives.

The B.C. provincial election campaign is entering its final weekend before voters head to the polls on Oct. 24.

In his statement posted by Lowan, Phillip says her understanding of the climate crisis as well as her “proactive, principled, evidence-based approach” with finding solutions were key reasons for his endorsement.

“She is a strong and courageous ally for Indigenous peoples in BC and approaches environmental stewardship with full respect for Indigenous rights,” Phillip’s statement says.

Phillip fell out with Eby over his handling of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

Eby backed down earlier this year on changing or suspending parts of the act, in the face of opposition from Stewart and his late wife.

Lowan is slated to cast her vote in Saanichton, B.C., on Friday as advance voting starts in the provincial election, while NDP Leader Eby is scheduled to speak in Coquitlam and Conservatives interim leader Lorne Doerkson will appear in Port Moody, both in Metro Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.