Conservatives win first British Columbia election in nearly a century
XLE•British Columbia’s Conservative Party won 64 of 93 provincial seats, ending nine years of New Democrat rule. The party pledged to double natural gas production by 2032 and more than triple it by 2035.
1. Conservative victory
Provisional results showed the Conservatives won 64 of British Columbia’s 93 seats, while the New Democrats won 27. It was the Conservatives’ first provincial election win since 1928.
2. Energy pledges
Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson, who will become premier, pledged to double natural gas production by 2032 and more than triple it by 2035. He also promised to cut red tape, end emissions limits, replace the province’s carbon tax framework and contact energy providers that had left its LNG sector since 2018, including ExxonMobil, Chevron and Woodside.
3. Campaign issues
The result ends nine years of New Democrat rule. The party had opposed new oil pipelines and supported a ban on tankers along the province’s northern coast. Polls showed voters focused on cost-of-living issues, healthcare and the trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump.
