The BC Conservatives have won a commanding majority in the provincial election, securing at least 61 of the Legislature’s 93 seats. Interim BC Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson will become British Columbia’s next Premier, leading the largest majority government in the province since 2001. This memo examines the election outcome, the challenges facing the incoming government, and opportunities for stakeholders to advance their advocacy priorities.
Election Analysis
The BC Conservatives’ victory marks a historic political resurgence and one of the most significant political blunders by outgoing NDP Premier David Eby.
Just three years ago, the BC Conservatives held no seats in the Legislature and had not held power since 1928. After forming the Official Opposition following the 2024 election and launching a leadership race in December 2025, the BC Conservatives experienced significant internal turmoil, with 13 MLAs leaving caucus. The party chose Kerry-Lynne Findlay as leader in May 2026 after a heated race, but she stepped down in September amid a series of public scandals. Just two days later, the NDP called the snap election, with Lorne Doerkson announced as interim leader for the Conservatives. Only weeks later, the BC Conservatives secured a majority larger than the NDP achieved at the height of John Horgan’s popularity.
The result demonstrates Doerkson’s ability to unite a broad coalition of candidates and supporters around a shared desire for change, in addition to presenting a fairly centre-right (vs. far right) platform to B.C. voters that reflected their concerns around affordability, health care, and public safety.
For Eby, who announced his resignation as party leader during his concession speech, the decision to call a snap election proved costly. Voters were frustrated by a return to the polls just two years after the last campaign, and the Conservatives’ leadership change undercut the NDP’s strategy of campaigning against Findlay. The NDP struggled to adjust its message to fight Doerkson and establish a compelling rationale for a renewed mandate. Its attempts to connect the Conservatives as aligned with Donald Trump and far-right policies also failed to mobilize voters just two years after running on the same narrative.
The Conservatives now face the dual task of translating campaign commitments into government policy and ensuring the interim leader is appointed permanently. As the party’s constitution and the timing of the snap election did not allow enough time to confirm the matter, the BC Conservative Party signalled during the election campaign that it would bring forward constitutional amendments to confirm Doerkson permanently as leader, should he be elected Premier. These changes would need to be confirmed at an Annual General Meeting of the BC Conservative members and require a two-thirds majority. However, with the party returning to government for the first time in nearly a century, the motion is unlikely to fail.
In the meantime, the BC Conservatives are drawing on experienced figures from previous BC Liberal administrations. Former Deputy Minister to Premier Kim Henderson has been appointed to lead the transition.
Doerkson has already identified several immediate priorities, including an independent review of provincial finances, a commission focused on keeping emergency departments open, and a plan to reduce taxes. These commitments signal an ambitious start to the mandate. Delivering on them will require the new government to reconcile expectations for rapid change with the province’s fiscal pressures, workforce shortages, and infrastructure needs.
Election Results
Seat Count
At the time of writing, four ridings remain subject to recounts. The Conservatives have secured 61 seats and are leading in three additional ridings.
| Conservative Party of BC | NDP | Green | |
| Seats | 61 | 26 | 2 |
| Additional Seats Leading | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Popular Vote | 48.1% | 37.4% | 11.0% |
Turnout
Preliminary estimates put voter turnout at approximately 48%, the lowest participation rate in the province’s modern history. Advance voting accounted for a substantial share of ballots, with more than 500,000 votes cast during the first two days alone. The Conservatives established an early advantage that carried through election night.
What We’ll be Monitoring
Cabinet Appointments
Selecting Cabinet will be one of Doerkson’s first major decisions. A large caucus provides a broad pool of candidates, but it also creates significant expectations among newly elected MLAs. Most Conservative MLAs will sit outside Cabinet, making the distribution of parliamentary secretary positions, committee roles, and other responsibilities important to caucus management.
Doerkson will also need to balance regional representation, professional experience, and the party’s different political perspectives. His choices will provide an early indication of the government’s priorities and which voices will have the greatest influence.
Peter Milobar appears well-positioned for the Finance portfolio, which will play a central role in reviewing provincial finances and implementing the government’s fiscal agenda.
The Health appointment is less certain. Former Rural Health Critic Brennan Day was considered the most likely choice, but he lost his re-election bid. Health Critic Anna Kindy faced sustained NDP attacks during the campaign over her public positions on vaccines, making her appointment unlikely. The government will therefore likely look beyond its former health critics to select B.C.’s next Minister of Health.
Caucus Management
With a potential caucus of 64 MLAs, the Conservatives will need to manage a large number of competing regional priorities and requests. Government MLAs will face pressure to demonstrate results for their communities, while ministers will need to balance those expectations against provincial priorities and available funding.
The party’s ideological breadth adds another layer of complexity. Its caucus includes members ranging from political centrists absorbed from the former BC Liberal Party to more far right-wing conservatives sympathetic to the United Conservative Party movement in Alberta and the federal Conservative Party of Canada’s leanings under Pierre Poilievre. Defections over the summer demonstrate the challenges of maintaining unity. Doerkson will need to sustain agreement around shared priorities, particularly fiscal reform, economic growth, and improved access to services.
A large majority gives the government considerable legislative flexibility. Maintaining cohesion within that majority will require sustained attention.
Review of Provincial Finances
Doerkson’s promised review of provincial finances will help establish the fiscal context for the new government’s mandate. Its findings could influence spending decisions, the pace of platform implementation, and the government’s willingness to consider new funding requests.
The province’s fiscal challenges extend beyond questions about the previous government’s management. An aging population is increasing demand for health and social services, while revenue pressures and major infrastructure needs constrain the government’s options.
The Conservatives’ commitment to reduce provincial income taxes will place additional pressure on the fiscal framework unless offset by spending restraint or stronger revenues. Although the party has promised to accelerate economic growth, those benefits will take time to materialize, especially amid current U.S. tariff challenges.
Stakeholders should expect close scrutiny of proposals involving new spending. Demonstrating affordability, measurable outcomes, and opportunities to improve efficiency will be particularly important.
Health Care Commitments
The incoming Health Minister will inherit a politically urgent commitment to reduce temporary emergency department closures, particularly in rural communities where a large contingent of BC Conservatives voters live. Doerkson’s proposed commission will be an early test of the government’s ability to turn that commitment into practical improvements.
Persistent closures became a major liability for the NDP and contributed to frustration with access to care outside urban centres. NDP legislation mandated public reporting and improved transparency for patients, but it also kept service disruptions in the headlines and reinforced concerns about the government’s ability to maintain reliable access.
The Conservatives now assume responsibility for addressing those same pressures. Workforce shortages, recruitment and retention challenges, geographic isolation, and limitations in service delivery will require sustained work across government and the health system.
The government will face pressure to demonstrate early progress. Stakeholders with credible proposals to improve rural access, expand capacity, or reduce pressure on emergency departments will have an opportunity to contribute to one of its defining priorities.
Advice for Clients
Send Letters of Congratulations
Send a brief letter congratulating the Premier-designate and introducing your organization’s role in British Columbia. Connect your priorities to the incoming government’s commitments and identify a clear opportunity for collaboration.
Letters should establish a relationship, demonstrate relevance to the government’s agenda, and create an opening for future engagement.
Align with Conservative Commitments
Position your priorities around the outcomes the Conservatives have committed to delivering. Particularly relevant areas include:
- Expanding hospital capacity and reducing pressure on emergency departments.
- Improving efficiency and value for money in the health system.
- Supporting economic growth, investment, and workforce participation.
- Improving access to care in rural and underserved communities.
Make these connections explicit and support them with practical evidence. Proposals that demonstrate both patient benefits and a credible financial case will be better positioned in a constrained fiscal environment.
Reframe Narratives
A change in government creates an opportunity to revisit how your issue is presented. Materials developed for the previous government should be updated to reflect the Conservatives’ priorities, language, and expectations.
Stakeholders should frame their proposals around economic value, highlight the cost of delayed action on longstanding issues, and build on any past expressions of Conservative support. They should also anticipate the government’s focus on recovery-based care and reform of the Health Professions and Occupations Act, engaging early and presenting the transition as an opportunity for a productive relationship.
Prepare for Cabinet Appointments
A new cabinet could take as long as one month to be installed. Use this transition period to prepare tailored briefing materials and meeting requests for incoming ministers. Once appointed, new Cabinet members will receive substantial outreach while establishing their offices and learning their portfolios, making concise and relevant materials especially important.
Once appointments are announced, assess each minister’s background, regional connections, and previous engagement with your issue. Where appropriate, consider outreach to parliamentary secretaries and government MLAs who could help build support.
Adjust Timelines and Tactics
Engagement plans should reflect the government’s transition and the timing of the next legislative session. Organizations planning fall lobby days should prepare for the possibility of moving those activities to the spring sitting, subject to confirmation of the legislative calendar.
In the meantime, maintain momentum through:
- MLA education campaigns and constituency meetings.
- Congratulatory letters and meeting requests to incoming ministers.
- Participation in relevant Conservative events or events where new government MLAs and ministers may be in attendance.
- Evaluation of any communications milestones, or tour or event opportunities, where an invitation could be issued to the new government.
- Requests for briefings with Conservative caucus members.
The transition period is an opportunity to introduce your organization, establish the relevance of your advocacy asks, and build relationships before the government’s policy and budget priorities become more firmly established.