In a stunning move, Premier David Eby has asked Lieutenant Governor Wendy Cocchia to dissolve the Legislature, triggering a provincial general election for Saturday, October 24, 2026. The call comes less than two years after the October 2024 election and roughly two years ahead of the fixed election date of October 21, 2028.
Eby has framed the vote around the U.S. trade war, calling it an “existential moment” for British Columbia, approximately 20 months after the first tariffs from the U.S. were announced, and asking voters to choose whether to “build on our progress or put B.C. at risk.”
The early election timing also lands in a moment of disruption for the Official Opposition. Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned as leader of the BC Conservatives on Sunday, following 112 days of internal dysfunction that saw the party lose and regain MLAs repeatedly. Findlay has been replaced as leader by Lorne Doerkson.
Background
| Date | Milestone |
| Tue, Sept 22 | Election called; Legislature dissolved |
| Sat, Oct 3 | Candidate nomination deadline |
| Mon, Oct 5 | Fall sitting was set to open; will not proceed |
| Fri, Oct 16 – Wed, Oct 21 | Advance voting (per Elections BC planning calendar for an Oct. 24 vote) |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Municipal general elections across B.C. |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Provincial general voting day |
| Early-to-mid November | Final count, then cabinet swearing-in and new mandate letters |
B.C. has 93 electoral districts; 47 seats are needed for a majority. In 2024, the NDP won 47 seats and 44.9% of the vote to the Conservatives’ 44 seats and 43.3%, with the Greens holding two. The NDP–Green cooperation agreement signed after that election was ended by the Greens in February 2026.
The Conservative split
On the Friday prior to the election call, the opposition was completely fractured. A total of 14 MLAs had either been expelled from the BC Conservative caucus, quit or resigned their seat. Peter Milobar, who had finished fifth in the leadership race, had taken over as leader of the CentreBC party with seven other MLAs joining him.
Prior to last weekend, the two parties were competing for the centre-right vote with only weeks to nominate candidates, raise money and write platforms. Vote splitting between them would have been the single biggest variable in this election. However, following the resignation of Kerry-Lynne Findlay on September 2, Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson was selected to be interim leader.
Following Doerkson’s installation, all of the CentreBC MLAs rejoined the Conservative caucus with the exception of Elenore Sturko. On the first day of the campaign, Doerkson hosted a press conference and was joined by several caucus members as well as former leadership candidates Peter Milobar, Caroline Elliott, and Iain Black, in a show of conservative unity. Meanwhile, CentreBC has tapped former Green Party leader Andrew Weaver to run under their banner in the riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head.
Where public opinion sits
| Pollster (field dates) | NDP | Conservative | Green |
| Angus Reid (Sept 8–15) | 41% | 37% | — |
| Research Co. (Aug 12–14) | 44% | 39% | 10% |
Every published poll predates Findlay’s resignation and the CentreBC consolidation, and none tests CentreBC as a province-wide option. Treat these polls as a baseline, not a forecast. The Angus Reid survey also found 50% of British Columbians say it is “time for a change,” but 52% view the Conservatives as “too far to the right” and 51% say they have no party they can enthusiastically support. That is an electorate open to persuasion, which could make the dramatic start to this campaign unusually consequential.
