British Columbia's Conservatives are promising to keep provincial and municipal election periods apart if they win the province's snap election on October 24.
Leader Lorne Doerkson said in a social media video released Wednesday, October 14, that his first bill as premier would be a Respect Local Democracy Act, prohibiting scheduled or snap provincial elections within 60 days of municipal elections.
NDP leader David Eby called the snap election for October 24 — two years ahead of schedule and one week after local elections — after dissolving the legislature on September 22, saying he needed a stronger mandate to deal with U.S. tariffs.
Doerkson called the timing cynical and costly, pointing to an estimated price tag above $80 million for running the provincial vote at a time of record deficits. The Conservatives coalesced under Doerkson after their previous leader resigned in September, and recent polling has given them a slim lead over the NDP.
