SURREY – B.C. Premier David Eby says he’s told his legislators that they need to be “election ready,” amid disruption posed by the trade war with the United States.
The premier said both Elections BC and the NDP caucus have been warned to be prepared for an election, although he did not offer any details about its timing.
“I don’t have any election announcements to make today,” he said at an unrelated news conference on Wednesday.
“I do recognize for British Columbians to be able to have a say about the direction of our province, given the incredible disruption that Donald Trump has brought to our economy, and to our politics here in the province.”
But there is also disruption within the Opposition B.C. Conservative Party, with nine members leaving as they criticize new leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who’s running in a byelection Sept. 26 for a seat in the legislature.
“She’s out there campaigning, and I understand she has lost a number of votes, and those just are caucus members,” he quipped.
The NDP government is less than halfway through its mandate after winning a one-seat majority over the B.C. Conservatives under former leader John Rustad on Oct. 19, 2024. The Greens won two seats.
The province has a fixed election date set for October 2028.
But Eby said if an election was held sooner, the question in the front of mind for many British Columbians would be about the best course for the province.
“There are two very different proposals on the table from the major political parties in the province,” he said.
One Conservative member is now with the NDP, but the party’s standing in the legislature remains the same at 47 seats after the death of New Democrat Joan Phillip this summer.
The Conservative Party of B.C. has 28 members, after shedding more than a dozen people since the election.
There are 14 Independents, half of whom have joined an unnamed party under the interim leadership of former Conservative member Peter Milobar.
The Greens have two seats, while there are two vacancies, with one of those to be filled in this month’s byelection.
Eby said Cheryl Oates, his former acting chief of staff, would manage the party’s campaign for the next election, whenever it is called.
“So, we are election ready at the NDP,” he said.
Any vote would also come against the backdrop of several polls that show Eby’s approval rate rising while Findlay’s falls.
The premier was asked if his government was doing better politically than financially, with figures out this week showing the deficit rising to another record of $13.8 billion.
“So, I think, you know, those polls and approval ratings are going to go up and down,” he said.
“But our government has remained focused on a couple of things: growing the economy to pay for public services people need and actually delivering those public services for British Columbia.”
The premier made his comments at a news conference in Surrey, where he announced that about 80 per cent of B.C. residents now had a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2026.
