BC NDP Leader David Eby, back left, listens as interim B.C. Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson speaks during the televised debate ahead of the provincial election on Wednesday.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
The leaders of British Columbia’s three main political parties squared up on Wednesday in the only televised debate leading up to the Oct. 24 provincial election.
NDP Leader David Eby, interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson and Green Leader Emily Lowan clashed over affordability, health care, the province’s finances and Indigenous rights for nearly two hours in a debate that grew testy at times. Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, moderated.
The polls show the Conservatives narrowly continuing to lead the NDP, with the Greens in distant third.
Here are five takeaways from the leaders’ debate.
Eby ties snap election to ‘existential moment’
Mr. Eby opened the debate by laying out his rationale for calling a snap election two years ahead of schedule, saying he needed a strong mandate to meet the “existential moment” the province finds itself in.
“When you have a one-seat majority, after you appoint a speaker, it’s tough,” Mr. Eby said. “Every vote potentially could bring down the government.”
Mr. Doerkson, asked why voters should trust a leader who was an “unknown entity in B.C. politics one month ago,” deflected. He accused Mr. Eby of calling the snap election because he saw an opportunity for himself and said he instead sees an opportunity for British Columbians.
Ms. Lowan described Mr. Eby’s NDP as a party of broken promises and recycled ideas, and the official opposition as “opaque” on what it would cut to fund its various promises. Ms. Lowan, 26, noted she is roughly half the age of elected representatives in the legislature and said her youth is an asset in today’s politics, which have seen a “huge generational rift.”
Doerkson calls NDP’s health care funding plan an ‘attack on doctors’
Mr. Eby acknowledged a need to improve health care services, including the need to hire more medical professionals and reduce wait times. A re-elected NDP government would increase taxes on income of more than $190,000 which would go to fund health care services, he said.
Mr. Doerkson called Mr. Eby’s tax proposal an “attack on doctors.” Mr. Eby countered by saying that B.C. has the second-lowest tax rate in Canada on incomes of $250,000, and that his party is being “up front with British Columbians” about how it plans to pay for its promises.
From left to right: B.C. Green Party Leader Emily Lowan, Mr. Eby and Mr. Doerkson listen during the B.C. leaders' debate.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
The interim Conservative leader said his party would fully fund health care, never cutting from the front lines, but has yet to fully explain how it would do so while honouring other promises, including to freeze income taxes across the board. Mr. Doerkson said a Conservative government would cut red tape and bureaucracy within health care and “supercharge the economy.”
Ms. Lowan said her party would tax the ultra wealthy, with funds going to public services.
Leaders weigh in on DRIPA
Mr. Eby acknowledged that the province has faced a couple of challenging court decisions related to the province’s Indigenous rights legislation but said the legislation has also enabled partnerships with Indigenous people that have paved the way for major projects, including LNG Canada Phase 2.
The Cowichan Tribes decision, which was brought under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, has further added to debate over how Aboriginal title claims intersect with private property rights and B.C.’s laws, including DRIPA, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Mr. Eby said the NDP is appealing certain court decisions to protect private property rights and ensure that major projects are not mired in litigation.
Mr. Doerkson reiterated that a Conservative government would repeal DRIPA.
“There has to be a better path forward, and that is to respect relations and certain partnerships with First Nations in this province,” he said. “And I’m absolutely committed to that.”
Ms. Lowan accused Mr. Eby’s party of sowing uncertainty with his government’s handling of the issue, and Mr. Doerkson’s of “constantly pushing misinformation and blatant fearmongering.”
A Green government would follow the advice of First Nations leaders who have been unequivocal in saying that B.C. must do the work of implementing the legislation, she said.
Caucus controversies come into focus
Some of the testiest moments of the debate came as the leaders attacked controversial figures in each other’s caucuses. Mr. Doerkson was asked about Conservative members with extreme views, including a candidate whom the leader dropped last week after racist social media posts surfaced, and others who remain in the party.
“There there have been challenges on both sides of our chamber, and there have been many challenges online,” Mr. Doerkson said. “I will lead with an absolute commitment to respect and dignity going forth. I’ll expect it from my caucus.”
Mr. Doerkson then turned the question on Mr. Eby, asking about former cabinet minister Selina Robinson, who left the NDP in 2024, citing antisemitism in the caucus.
Other parties
The debate also heard video messages from CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko and OneBC Leader Dallas Brodie. Ms. Sturko described her party as “socially progressive, environmentally pragmatic and fiscally responsible,” saying it would ensure a strong centrist voice in Victoria.
Ms. Brodie vowed to “fight against these land back giveaways that are being done by the current government” and “stop the greed and corruption of the reconciliation industry.”