BC NDP expected to form next government as Elections BC ...
Posted October 28, 2024 4:48 pm.
Last Updated October 28, 2024 6:40 pm.
The BC NDP appears to have won enough seats to form government in British Columbia on Monday. However, it is unclear whether it will be a majority or a minority government.
The Canadian Press is projecting that they have won at least 46 seats, with two seats still too close to call in the ongoing count of absentee ballots.
The threshold for a majority is 47 seats.
The closest riding is Surrey-Guildford, where the BC Conservatives were leading until around 12 p.m., when the BC NDP took the lead. As of now, the BC NDP is ahead by 27 votes.
The BC Conservatives have a slim lead in Kelowna Centre. As of now, they are ahead by 38 votes.
The province’s Lieutenant Governor Janet Austen published a statement via X announcing Premier David Eby’s win.
“As Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, I have spoken with Premier David Eby, who has advised me that he is prepared to continue as Premier of British Columbia,” she said.
Premier David Eby released a statement Monday afternoon. He says it is an “incredible honour” to be elected for the third time.
“People want their elected representatives to deliver results. With renewed determination, we will build on the progress we’ve made to reduce daily costs like car insurance and childcare, hire thousands of health care workers and get you a family doctor, deliver homes you can afford, and make sure our economy works for everyone–not just those at the top. There is so much more work to do to lighten the load for people,” Premier David Eby said in a statement.
Here are some of the key numbers about the election, based on estimates provided by Elections BC:
Eligible voters: 3,550,017
Total votes cast: 2,105,534
Estimated turnout: 59.3 per cent
NDP vote share: 44.9 per cent
B.C. Conservative vote share: 43.3 per cent
Green Party vote share: 8.2 per cent
Advance votes: 1,001,331 (46 per cent of total)
Votes in initial Oct. 20 count: 2,039,460 (97 per cent of total)
Mail-in and assisted telephone votes counted on weekend: 43,538 (2 per cent of total)
Absentee and special ballots being counted Monday: 22,536 (1 per cent of total)
This is a developing story.
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-With files from Mike Lloyd and Aastha Pandey-Kanaan.
