What to know
- B.C. Conservatives won a majority government in the Oct. 24 provincial election.
- David Eby conceded and said he would resign as BC NDP leader after calling the election two years early.
- Lorne Doerkson is set to become B.C.’s next premier after taking over as interim Conservative leader just weeks before the vote.
- Online reaction ranged from celebration to anxiety, while “pulling an Eby” quickly became shorthand for the failed snap-election gamble.
David Eby called a snap election looking for a stronger mandate. Instead, British Columbia handed the government to the Conservatives — and the internet wasted little time naming the political miscalculation after him.
The B.C. election results gave the Conservatives a majority under interim leader Lorne Doerkson. With preliminary results reported, the party won or led in 64 of 93 ridings, compared with 27 for the BC NDP and two for the Greens.
Eby conceded Saturday night and announced he would resign as NDP leader. The election had originally been scheduled for 2028 before Eby called voters to the polls two years early.
B.C. election results turn ‘pulling an Eby’ into the joke of the night
For some observers, that decision quickly became the defining story of the campaign.
“‘Pulling an Eby’ has officially entered the Canadian political lexicon,” commentator Mo Amir joked on X.
Journalist Robyn Urback offered an even shorter assessment: “Bit of an oopsie daisy there by David Eby.”
Eby himself was considerably more reflective.
“Congratulations to @LDoerkson on becoming B.C.’s next premier,” he wrote after conceding. “Serving this province has been the honour of a lifetime.”
He added that he was proud of his government’s record before thanking British Columbians.
Conservatives celebrate a dramatic turnaround
For Doerkson, the result capped an unusually rapid rise.
He was appointed interim Conservative leader Sept. 21 after Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned. Just over a month later, he was premier-designate.
“Tonight, you voted for change,” Doerkson wrote on X. “You voted for a government that will listen, keep life affordable, and never take your hard-earned money for granted.”
The result completes a remarkable turnaround for a party that failed to elect an MLA for decades before rapidly becoming B.C.’s main centre-right force.
Not everyone is celebrating
Other reactions reflected anxiety about what a Conservative majority could mean.
One B.C. resident wrote that it was “a very scary time,” expressing concern that affordability could worsen and social programs could face cuts.
The Conservatives campaigned on measures including an income-tax cut, expanded consumer choice in auto insurance, increased natural-gas production and repealing B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
Preliminary Elections BC results showed the Conservatives with about 49 per cent of the vote, compared with roughly 37 per cent for the NDP and 11 per cent for the Greens. Final counting is scheduled for Nov. 6 to 10.
For now, though, one lesson from election night has already landed online: if you call an early election, you’d better be very sure how it ends.
