B.C.'s major party leaders to debate tonight ahead of provincial election
asserted
leaders → debate → election
The only live leaders' debate before British Columbia's provincial election is set to take place tonight in Vancouver at 6:15 p.m. PT.
asserted
debate → set → PT
- The debate will include NDP Leader David Eby, B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson and Green Leader Emily Lowan.
asserted
debate → include → Eby
- OneBC's Dallas Brodie and CentreBC's Elenore Sturko are not involved, having agreed to the criteria for a party leader to qualify for the debate in advance.
asserted
leader → involve → advance
- The debate comes 10 days before voters head to the polls on Oct. 24.
asserted
voters → come → Oct.
You can livestream the event in the video above or on YouTube.
asserted
You → livestream → YouTube
Pinned
B.C.'s provincial party leaders take the debate stage tonight
The leaders of British Columbia's main political parties will take the stage together tonight for the only live, streamed and televised debate of the provincial election campaign.
asserted
leaders → pin → campaign
B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby and B.C. Green Party Leader Emily Lowan will debate a wide range of issues important to British Columbians, with less than two weeks to go until voters head to the polls.
asserted
voters → debate → polls
As of late September, health care, the economy, housing prices and affordability were essentially tied as the "most important" election issues, according to a Leger survey of 1,003 British Columbians over a four-day period.
uncertain
care → tie → period
A separate Angus Reid poll of 801 British Columbians identified cost of living as the top election concern last month, far ahead of health care, the economy and affordable housing.
asserted
poll → identify → care
Eby called the election in September, two years early, saying the province needs a fresh government to adequately respond to the trade conflict between Canada and the United States.
asserted
province → call → Canada
Both his political opponents and members of the public have criticized the decision to send voters to the polls just a week after municipal elections this Saturday.
asserted
opponents → criticize → elections
Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, will moderate tonight's leaders' debate.
asserted
Kurl → moderate → debate
Updates
October 15
Tom SummerConservatives, NDP running same number of candidates
The list of candidates for the 2026 B.C. election has been finalized.
asserted
list → run → election
The Conservatives have a full slate across all 93 ridings, while the NDP is one short at 92.
asserted
NDP → have → 92
Experts say the smaller parties are likely to play a big role this time around.
asserted
parties → say → role
Most of them represent one of 10 political parties, with a handful running as independents or unaffiliated candidates.
asserted
handful → represent → independents
The Conservatives initially fielded 93 candidates in the race, covering all of the province's ridings, but recently dropped its candidate in Victoria-Beacon Hill after offensive social media posts were brought to light.
asserted
posts → field → light
The NDP is also at 92 candidates, having no representative running in Peace River North.
asserted
NDP → have → North
Hamish Telford, a political science associate professor at the University of the Fraser Valley, said the Conservatives have accomplished "quite a feat" running candidates in almost every riding, "considering the turmoil" the party weathered in recent months.
"It's going to come down to how the smaller parties do in particular ridings," Telford said of the Conservatives and NDP running the same number of candidates.
asserted
Conservatives → say → candidates
The Greens have 73 candidates in the running, while CentreBC and OneBC have 35 and 33, respectively.
asserted
CentreBC → have → 35
Since there are 93 seats in the B.C. Legislature, a party needs to win 47 to form a majority government.
asserted
party → be → government
How to catch up on the recent craziness in B.C. politics
If you haven't been paying close attention to B.C. politics recently, you might find yourself confused by the political news in the past few weeks.
uncertain
yourself → catch → weeks
Voters are faced with new leaders, new parties and new decisions to make about who should lead the province when they head to the polls.
asserted
they → face → polls
You can find a brief timeline to get you up to date here.
asserted
You → find → date
Leaders for CentreBC and OneBC will not be at tonight's debate
CentreBC's Elenore Sturko and OneBC's Dallas Brodie are not involved in the leaders' debate.
asserted
Sturko → involve → debate
The broadcast consortium, including CBC, Global and CTV, said the criteria for a party leader to qualify for the debate was agreed upon by all its members, but it did not respond to a request for more details.
asserted
it → include → details
Sturko became leader of CentreBC last month, describing the party as fiscally responsible and socially progressive.
asserted
Sturko → become → party
She said she wants to appeal to centrist voters who feel they don't have a political home with the NDP or the Conservatives.
asserted
they → say → NDP
OneBC formed last year shortly after the Conservatives came within a hair of winning the 2024 provincial election.
asserted
Conservatives → form → election
Brodie, the party's interim leader, is running for re-election in Vancouver-Quilchena.
asserted
Brodie → run → Quilchena
Neither party is running enough candidates to form a majority government.
asserted
party → run → government
- Rhianna Schmunk
B.C.'s provincial party leaders take the debate stage tonight
asserted
leaders → take → stage
The leaders of British Columbia's main political parties will take the stage together tonight for the only live, streamed and televised debate of the provincial election campaign.
asserted
leaders → take → campaign
B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby and B.C. Green Party Leader Emily Lowan will debate a wide range of issues important to British Columbians, with less than two weeks to go until voters head to the polls.
asserted
voters → debate → polls
As of late September, health care, the economy, housing prices and affordability were essentially tied as the "most important" election issues, according to a Leger survey of 1,003 British Columbians over a four-day period.
uncertain
care → tie → period
A separate Angus Reid poll of 801 British Columbians identified cost of living as the top election concern last month, far ahead of health care, the economy and affordable housing.
asserted
poll → identify → care
Eby called the election in September, two years early, saying the province needs a fresh government to adequately respond to the trade conflict between Canada and the United States.
asserted
province → call → Canada
Both his political opponents and members of the public have criticized the decision to send voters to the polls just a week after municipal elections this Saturday.
asserted
members → criticize → elections
Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, will moderate tonight's leaders' debate.
asserted
Kurl → moderate → debate
The Aporia
