44th British Columbia general election
On or before October 21, 2028
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All 93 seats in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 47 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 44th British Columbia general election will elect members of the Legislative Assembly to serve in the 44th Parliament of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The Constitution Act requires that the election be held no later than October 21, 2028, but it may be called earlier.
Date of the election
Section 23 of British Columbia's Constitution Act provides that general elections occur on the third Saturday in October of the fourth calendar year after the last election.[1][2] The previous election was held in 2024; the next election is therefore scheduled for October 21, 2028. The same section, though, makes the fixed election date subject to the lieutenant governor's prerogative to dissolve the Legislative Assembly as they see fit (in practice, on the advice of the premier or following a vote of non-confidence).[1][3]
Background
The 2024 British Columbia general election was held on October 19, 2024. The incumbent New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Premier David Eby, won a narrow majority government, marking their third consecutive term in office.[4] The opposition BC United (formerly the BC Liberals) withdrew shortly before the election and endorsed the Conservative Party, led by John Rustad, who went on to form the official opposition.[5] The Green Party remained steady with two seats, but leader Sonia Furstenau lost her seat.[b][6] On December 13, the NDP and Greens announced a co-operation agreement.[7]
On January 28, 2025, Furstenau announced her resignation as Green Party leader. Jeremy Valeriote was named interim leader while the party organized a leadership election for September 2025, which was won by Emily Lowan.[8]
After months of party infighting in the Conservative caucus, on December 3, 2025, a letter was sent to the Conservative party president on behalf of 20 Conservative MLAs calling for Rustad to be removed as leader. The MLAs, who remained anonymous, said they had "lost confidence" in his leadership. Rustad dismissed the letter and refused to step down. Subsequently, the party executive declared Rustad "professionally incapacitated" and thus removed him as leader, and named Trevor Halford as interim leader.[9] Rustad disputed the legitimacy of his removal, saying "nothing has changed" and that he remains leader.[10] The following day, Rustad announced his resignation as leader.[11]
Incumbents not standing for re-election
| Member of the Legislative Assembly | Electoral district | Date announced | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Rustad | Nechako Lakes | December 4, 2025 | [12] | |
Timeline
| Seat | Before | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Member | Party | Reason | Date | Member | Party | |
| Vancouver-Quilchena | March 7, 2025 | Dallas Brodie | █ Conservative | Removed from caucus | █ Independent | ||
| Peace River North | March 7, 2025 | Jordan Kealy | █ Conservative | Left caucus | █ Independent | ||
| Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream | March 7, 2025 | Tara Armstrong | █ Conservative | Left caucus | █ Independent | ||
| Vancouver-Quilchena | June 9, 2025 | Dallas Brodie | █ Independent | Formed new party | █ OneBC | ||
| Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream | June 9, 2025 | Tara Armstrong | █ Independent | Formed new party | █ OneBC | ||
| Surrey-Cloverdale | September 22, 2025 | Elenore Sturko | █ Conservative | Removed from caucus | █ Independent | ||
| Penticton-Summerland | October 20, 2025 | Amelia Boultbee | █ Conservative | Left caucus | █ Independent | ||
| Vancouver-Quilchena | December 13, 2025 | Dallas Brodie | █ OneBC | Removed from caucus | █ Independent | ||
| Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream | December 16, 2025 | Tara Armstrong | █ OneBC | Left caucus | █ Independent | ||
| Vancouver-Quilchena | December 21, 2025 | Dallas Brodie | █ Independent | Rejoined caucus | █ OneBC | ||
2025
- January 28 – Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau announces her intention to resign.[13] West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jeremy Valeriote is appointed as interim leader.
- March 7 – Dallas Brodie is removed from the Conservative caucus for comments about residential schools.[14] Following this, Jordan Kealy and Tara Armstrong leave the Conservative caucus.[15]
- June 9 – Brodie and Armstrong launch a new party called OneBC, with Brodie serving as interim leader and Armstrong the house leader.[16][17]
- September 22 – Conservative leader John Rustad passes his leadership review with 70.66% support. Elenore Sturko is subsequently removed from the Conservative caucus.[18]
- September 24 – Emily Lowan wins the 2025 Green Party of British Columbia leadership election.[19]
- October 20 – Amelia Boultbee leaves the Conservative caucus to sit as an independent.[20]
- November 15 – David Eby survives his leadership review with 82% support.[21]
- December 3 – Rustad is removed as Conservative leader by the party's board of directors and caucus. He is replaced by Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford as interim leader.[9] Rustad disputes the legitimacy of his removal.[10]
- December 4 – Rustad announces his resignation as leader.[11]
- December 13 – Brodie is removed as interim leader of OneBC.[22][23]
- December 16 – Armstrong leaves OneBC to become an independent. Having fewer than two members, the party loses representation in the legislature.[24]
- December 21 – Brodie reassumes the leadership of OneBC after its board resigns following negotiations.[25]
Opinion polling
| Opinion polls | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polling firm | Dates conducted | Source | NDP | Con. | Green | OneBC | Centre | Others[c] | Margin of error | Sample size | Polling method | Lead |
| Dec 21, 2025 | Dallas Brodie reassumes leadership of OneBC. | |||||||||||
| Mainstreet Research | Dec 17–18, 2025 | [26] | 41% | 41% | 10% | 7% | — | — | 2.2% | 1,902 | Smart IVR | Tie |
| Dec 13–16, 2025 | Dallas Brodie is removed as leader of OneBC. Tara Armstrong subsequently leaves the party, and OneBC loses party status in the legislature. | |||||||||||
| Pallas Data | Dec 11–13, 2025 | [27] | 44% | 39% | 9% | 7% | — | 1% | 3.2% | 923 | IVR | 5% |
| Dec 3–4, 2025 | John Rustad is removed as leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia. MLA Trevor Halford becomes interim leader. | |||||||||||
| Angus Reid | Nov 26 – Dec 1, 2025 | [28] | 43% | 40% | 11% | — | — | 8% | 4% | 463 | Online | 3% |
| Yorkville Strategies | Nov 24–25, 2025 | [29] | 40% | 42% | 8% | 5% | — | 4% | — | 600 | IVR | 2% |
| EKOS | Nov 20–25, 2025 | [30] | 44% | 35% | 9% | 8% | 2% | 3% | 3.3% | 889 | Telephone | 9% |
| Angus Reid | Oct 23–25, 2025 | [31] | 40% | 41% | 11% | 5% | 1% | 1% | 3% | 1,044 | Online | 1% |
| Abacus Data | Oct 9–15, 2025 | [32] | 47% | 40% | 8% | 1% | 3% | — | 3.1% | 1,000 | Online | 7% |
| Leger | Oct 10–12, 2025 | [33] | 48% | 38% | 8% | — | — | 7% | 3.0% | 1,035 | Online | 10% |
| Cardinal Research | Oct 4–6, 2025 | [34] | 42.5% | 41.3% | 10% | 3.8% | — | 2.5% | 3% | 1,088 | IVR | 1.2% |
| Research Co. | Oct 1–3, 2025 | [35] | 44% | 38% | 12% | 1% | 3% | 1% | 3.5% | 801 | Online | 6% |
| Sep 24, 2025 | Emily Lowan is elected leader of the Green Party of British Columbia. | |||||||||||
| Angus Reid | Aug 28 – Sep 5, 2025 | [36] | 42% | 44% | 10% | — | — | 4% | 3% | 811 | Online | 2% |
| Mainstreet Research | Jun 23–24, 2025 | [37] | 41% | 44% | 7% | — | — | 8% | 3.2% | 943 | Smart IVR | 3% |
| Jun 9, 2025 | Independent MLAs Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong form OneBC.[38] | |||||||||||
| Research Co. | Jun 7–9, 2025 | [39] | 43% | 42% | 8% | 1%[d] | 2% | 3% | 3.5% | 803 | Online | 1% |
| Leger | May 23–25, 2025 | [40] | 45% | 39% | 11% | — | — | 5% | 3.04% | 1,032 | Online | 6% |
| Liaison Strategies | May 2–4, 2025 | [41] | 45% | 47% | 7% | — | — | 2% | 3.45% | 800 | IVR | 2% |
| Mar 28, 2025 | Former MLA Karin Kirkpatrick forms CentreBC. | |||||||||||
| Research Co. | Mar 3–5, 2025 | [42] | 44% | 42% | 11% | — | — | 3% | 3.5% | 802 | Online | 2% |
| Pallas Data | Feb 15, 2025 | [43] | 48.8% | 40.7% | 7.6% | — | — | 2.9% | 3.8% | 677 | IVR | 8.1% |
| Jan 28, 2025 | Sonia Furstenau resigns as leader of the Green Party of British Columbia. MLA Jeremy Valeriote becomes interim leader. | |||||||||||
| Leger | Jan 24–26, 2025 | [44] | 44% | 42% | 10% | — | — | 4% | 3.1% | 1,001 | Online | 2% |
| 2024 general election | Oct 19, 2024 | 44.9% | 43.3% | 8.2% | — | — | 3.6% | — | 2,107,152 | Election | 1.6% | |
References
- Notes
- ^ Brodie was previously leader from June 9, 2025 – December 13, 2025.
- ^ Furstenau was the incumbent MLA for Cowichan Valley but stood in Victoria-Beacon Hill in 2024.
- ^ May implicitly include support for OneBC or CentreBC, depending on the poll
- ^ Poll asked about a prospective party with independent MLAs Dallas Brodie, Jordan Kealy, and Tara Armstrong. OneBC was announced after this poll was conducted.
- Sources
- ^ a b Constitution Act, s. 23.
- ^ Shaw, Rob (October 4, 2017). "NDP changes B.C.'s fixed election date from May to October". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Zussman, Richard (May 26, 2017). "Christy Clark gets 1st chance to govern, but how long can it last?". CBC News.
- ^ Larsen, Karin (October 28, 2024). "B.C. lieutenant-governor asks NDP Leader David Eby to form government". CBC News. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Dickson, Courtney (November 2, 2024). "From the shadows to the spotlight: Conservative surge shakes up B.C. politics". CBC News. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Kulkarni, Akshay (October 22, 2024). "B.C. Greens mull role of potential kingmaker after tight election". CBC News. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
- ^ Larsen, Karin (December 13, 2024). "B.C. NDP and B.C. Greens announce co-operation agreement". CBC News. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
- ^ DeRosa, Katie; Kurjata, Andrew (January 28, 2025). "Sonia Furstenau stepping down as B.C. Green Party leader". CBC News. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
- ^ a b DeRosa, Katie (December 3, 2025). "John Rustad removed as B.C. Conservatives leader, party says". CBC News.
- ^ a b "John Rustad says 'nothing has changed' after B.C. Conservative Party board announces his removal as leader". CBC News.
- ^ a b Emily, Fagan; Vanderdeen, Lauren (December 4, 2025). "John Rustad resigns as leader of B.C. Conservative Party". CBC News. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ "B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad announces resignation". CBC News. December 4, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ Madtha, Rippon (January 28, 2025). "Sonia Furstenau Steps Down as Leader of the BC Greens". BC Green Party. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
- ^ Kurjata, Andrew (March 7, 2025). "B.C. Conservative leader kicks Dallas Brodie out of caucus for 'mocking' residential school testimony". CBC News. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- ^ Kurjata, Andrew (March 7, 2025). "2 MLAs defect from B.C. Conservative Party following Dallas Brodie's ouster". CBC News. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- ^ Page, Mark (June 12, 2025). "Former Conservative MLA Dallas Brodie to lead new B.C. political party". Keremos Review. Black Press Media. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ Johansen, Nicholas (June 12, 2025). "Kelowna MLA part of new BC political party". Castanet. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ Lazenby, Alec (September 22, 2025). "Elenore Sturko booted from B.C. Conservative caucus as John Rustad survives leadership review". Vancouver Sun. Postmedia Network. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ^ "Emily Lowan rides youthful wave to landslide B.C. Greens leadership win". September 24, 2025.
- ^ "Fifth B.C. Conservative MLA leaves party as John Rustad struggles to maintain hold over caucus". Vancouver Sun. Postmedia Network. October 20, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
- ^ DeRosa, Katie. "New Democrats back Premier David Eby's leadership at convention with 82 per cent support". CBC News.
- ^ "OneBC - Volunteer". 1bc.ca. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
- ^ "OneBC ousts MLA Dallas Brodie as leader — but she says she's fighting back". CBC News.
- ^ https://x.com/taraarmstrongbc/status/2001111433044492366?s=46
- ^ Joveski, Emily (December 22, 2025). "Dallas Brodie reclaims OneBC leadership after board resigns". AM 1150. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "Mainstreet Research Survey - British Columbia" (PDF). Mainstreet Research. December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "Pallas British Columbia Poll: NDP 44%, Conservative 39%, Greens 9%, OneBC 7%". Pallas Data. December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "Government satisfaction scores fall like winter snow as Canadians blanketed in cost-of-living challenges". Angus Reid. December 17, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ Pantazopoulos, Dimitri (November 26, 2025). "New Yorkville Strategies BC polling shows that the BC Conservatives hold a slim lead over the BC NDP". Twitter. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
- ^ "British Columbia provincial polling". Polling Canada. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "Rustad's rocky road: Half of the BC Conservative Party's 2024 voters say they want him to go". Angus Reid. October 27, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
- ^ "Abacus Data BC Poll: Eby Government Holds the Edge a Year After the Provincial Election". Abacus Data. October 20, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
- ^ "Government of British Columbia Report Card: October 2025" (PDF). Leger. October 29, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ "British Columbia Survey". Cardinal Research. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
- ^ "NDP Leads, Conservatives Drop, Greens Gain in British Columbia". Research Co. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
- ^ "Cross-Canada Outlook – Provincial Issues, Politics, and Government Performance: British Columbia". Angus Reid Institute. September 11, 2025. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "Mainstreet Research Survey – British Columbia" (PDF). Mainstreet Research. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ DeRosa, Katie (June 13, 2025). "2 MLAs form new B.C. political party that courts social conservatives". CBC News. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Canseco, Mario (June 16, 2025). "Little Change in British Columbia Politics, Even With New Parties". Research Co. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
- ^ "Government of British Columbia Report Card: June 2025" (PDF). Leger. June 12, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ "BC: Conservatives Lead NDP, 47% to 45%". Liaison Strategies. May 7, 2025. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- ^ "British Columbia's Political Scene Remains Closely Contested". Research Co. March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ "British Columbia Provincial Voting Intentions" (PDF). Pallas Data. February 18, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- ^ "Government of British Columbia Report Card January 2025" (PDF). Leger. February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.