First weekend of provincial campaigns wraps in B.C. with new promises, renewed criticisms

First weekend of provincial campaigns wraps in B.C. with new promises, renewed criticisms

Affordability, taxes, economic growth main talking points at campaign stops

Provincial party leaders fanned out across B.C. during the first weekend of their campaigns, with just one month to convince voters to support their platforms.

B.C. NDP Leader David Eby called the Oct. 24 election two years early last week, citing a need to respond boldly to the Canada-U.S. trade conflict.

But the decision to send voters to the ballot box a week after municipal elections conclude on Oct. 17 has been met with criticism from Eby’s opponents, municipal leaders and the public.

The NDP leader defended his choice while at a campaign stop in Prince Rupert on Sunday, saying a one-vote majority has prevented his government from doing "what needs to be done."

Eby said his party is committed to growing the economy and resource sector while protecting the environment. He said the NDP are focused on addressing the cost of living, which he said has been made worse by U.S. tariffs.

Meanwhile, B.C. Conservative Party interim leader Lorne Doerkson made his first campaign promise at a stop in Surrey.

Doerkson, who took over a week ago when Kerry-Lynne Findlay stepped down, said if elected, his party would not raise or introduce new taxes, "not once."

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When asked how, with no new taxes, he would address the province’s projected $13.8-billion deficit, Doerkson said he would protect industrial jobs in B.C., which he said would be a boost to the economy.

"When you close a mill in a place like 100 Mile House or anywhere for that matter … the commerce that we lose from that is staggering," he said.

Eby criticized the policy announcement, saying refusing to raise taxes would only hurt core services like health care and education.

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Emily Lowan, leader of the B.C. Greens, spent her weekend speaking with voters in Sidney and on Salt Spring Island.

"Voters are exhausted. This snap election is deeply cynical. I think people see right through Eby’s narrative," she said.

Lowan said the New Democrats have argued there isn’t enough money to fund more progressive programs, while blaming financial pressures on U.S. President Donald Trump and the trade war.

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"What the B.C. Greens are offering is a revenue plan on how to fund the bold affordability solutions we so desperately need," she said.

Lowan argued the province could collect more revenue from resource companies to fund programs like social housing.

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The leader of CentreBC, Elenore Sturko, was also out campaigning over the weekend, in her current Surrey riding.

She said one of her party’s biggest challenges is making their name known to voters.

"Every day for this entire campaign is going to be a lot of hard work. But I think the fact that it is a history-making process for us gives us a lot of energy," she said.

Sturko said CentreBC is for people who want a change from the New Democrats but don’t feel comfortable voting for the B.C. Conservatives. She became leader of the party after seven MLAs who had formed it returned to the Conservatives following Findlay's departure.

CentreBC, Sturko said, is centred on social responsibility, fiscal responsibility and being "a home for liberals."

Dallas Brodie, the leader of OneBC, is also presenting her party as an alternate option, though with a different target voter base.

In a video post to X Sunday, Brodie said OneBC is "a real conservative option," and criticized the B.C. Conservatives for voting for "insane" NDP policy over the last year and a half.

She said her party will not run against "true conservatives" in the election.

Arden McLeod, from Vancouver, is an associate producer with CBC News. He has a passion for community storytelling, local news, and reflecting the values of B.C. He graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology's broadcast and online journalism program. You can reach him at Arden.McLeod@cbc.ca.

With files from Katie DeRosa and Pinki Wong