Trudeau liberalism meets its demise in Eby’s defeat in B.C.

Canada’s most obstructionist premier, British Columbia’s David Eby, called a snap election hoping to extend the NDP’s rule after nine years in power. He did so when the opposition was in chaos, without a leader and as the caucus was fracturing. Now, Eby finds himself on his way out, with Conservative interim Leader Lorne Doerkson set to become the province’s next premier after having won a thumping majority on Saturday. The voters have spoken and are sending Eby’s NDP into the wilderness. 

This is a big moment for Canada. Eby’s government has long stood in the way of a pipeline from Alberta to B.C. and practically had to be bought off by the Carney government to the tune of $20 billion to not outright oppose Alberta’s latest amended pipeline plan. Eby is also the reason why the senseless west coast tanker ban is in place at both the federal and provincial levels, which bans tankers of a certain size carrying oil off B.C.’s coast, all the while U.S. tankers carry oil along a very similar route. 

Eby was also proposing to raise taxes on anyone earning over $190,000 to nearly 58 per cent, once accounting for federal income taxes, the highest rate in North America. Voters in B.C. sent a clear signal that higher taxes are not the answer to solve today’s deficit woes, nor is class warfare a winning strategy in 2026. 

Make no mistake: this is a turning point for B.C. and for Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney has tried to turn the page on Trudeau era liberalism. But Eby was one of the last premiers trying to keep those same tired policies and divisive tactics in place. Eby’s defeat represents a historic opportunity for Canada’s provinces and the federal government to work together to further develop Canada’s resource sector, including more oil pipelines, forestry, and natural gas, among others. As former prime minister Stephen Harper has long said, Canada has the potential to become an energy superpower. Politicians like former prime minister Justin Trudeau and Eby have stood in the way of that dream. With Eby gone, that future may be one step closer to reality. 

And this was not a narrow win: the Conservatives won nearly 48 per cent of the popular vote, more than doubled the NDP in terms of the overall seat count and won seats in unexpected ridings like Vancouver-Yaletown, while sweeping through Surrey. This election was a complete repudiation on Eby and his politics of division and fearmongering. 

The results also show that fearmongering over U.S. President Donald Trump may no longer be a winning strategy. It worked for Ontario Premier Doug Ford, but he called an election immediately after Trump’s inauguration and unveiling of his tariff plans. It worked for Carney, but Carney sold himself as the man who could best make a deal and negotiate with Trump. It didn’t work in Quebec, with the province’s incumbent government wiped out earlier this month after campaigning against the U.S. president, and it didn’t work for Eby, who called the election and tried to frame it as a Trump campaign. 

It turns out, voters are focused on the high cost of living, on making streets safer, and on health and education systems that are being stretched to the max. They want governments in Canada, particularly at the provincial level, to focus on these issues, and Doerkson’s Conservatives certainly spoke to those issues during the campaign. 

Of course, Doerkson now faces the herculean task of trying to clean up the mess left behind by Eby’s NDP, including a massive deficit, a broken healthcare system, and a stagnant economy. Time will tell if the Conservatives are up to the task. But make no mistake: this election was a watershed moment for Canada. Trudeau liberalism, already on life support, was given the boot on Saturday. All Canadians should be grateful for that.