It was a historic night for David Eby and the BC NDP, but not quite the way he had hoped when he called the snap election on Sept. 22.
History was made because this is the first time a leader has called an early snap election in B.C. and lost in the province’s history.
While there are similar examples, like when Premier John Oliver lost his seat in a general election in 1924, Eby marks history in a truly unique and, what some might say, embarrassing way.
Eby made his concession speech just after 9:20 p.m., an hour and a half after polls closed. Eby congratulated Conservative Party leader Lorne Doerkson.
“Not the result that any of us wanted,” Eby said, realizing his party as the official opposition.
“I accept full responsibility,” he said.
He then said it’s time to move on, and for the BC NDP to find a new leader.
It’s also history in another way, as it’s the first time an NDP majority, albeit a weak one, flipped to the Conservatives. It’s also the first time the Conservative Party has won majority government in almost 100 years.
The road to this point is a strange one for Eby and the BC NDP.
Many speculated that an early election call was imminent when former Conservative Party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay fumbled in her role, leading many to question her capabilities as leader.
It now seems that Eby likely waited too long, because when he finally did call the snap election, the Conservatives seemed to be getting organized, and quickly.
Even in 2024, when the BC NDP party emerged victorious, it did so by the skin of its teeth. It took a full 10 days for former Conservative leader John Rustad to concede formally.
Eby wins his riding
Eby first won this seat in 2013, flipping it out from under then premier Christy Clark, who was the leader of the BC Liberals.
While there was speculation that Eby might lose his seat, he dismissed the idea at a press conference on Friday, Oct. 23.
“The people of Vancouver-Point Grey, I’ve been working hard for them for 13 years,” Eby said. “Fifteen years, my wife and I and our family have worked in politics, and we’ve lived in Vancouver-Point Grey. People know us; they know we fight hard for the community.”
“This used to be a swing riding, but people have seen me up close. They’ve seen my family up close.”
While Eby started his campaign with rhetoric about defending B.C. against U.S. President Donald Trump, his campaign team had to pivot.
He instead focused on his platform commitments to help British Columbians with affordability and health care, along with attempting to spread fear about the members of the Conservative Party.
However, Eby had some heavy political baggage to pack with him — including a $13.8 billion deficit, a number of unfulfilled promises, and discontent with how he has handled DRIPA.
Recent snap election history
The last time there was a snap election call in B.C. was back in 2020, and late former BC NDP leader John Horgan called it. The 2026 election actually marked the sixth anniversary of Horgan’s call, which took place on Oct. 24, 2020.
Horgan was running against BC Liberals (which became BC United) leader Andrew Wilkinson and BC Greens leader Sonia Furstenau.
Horgan’s snap election call was highly successful, resulting in his BC NDP winning 57 seats. Wilkinson’s BC Liberals won 28 seats, and the Greens ended up with two.
Just over 53 per cent of voters cast a vote in that election.
As the official opposition, it’ll be interesting to see how the BC NDP rebuilds its party and who it chooses as its next leader.
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