The opposition Conservative Party has won an election in the Canadian province of British Columbia for the first time in nearly 100 years, provisional results showed on Sunday. The result ends nine years in power for the left-of-centre New Democrats and puts Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson on course to become the province's next premier.

The right-leaning Conservatives won 64 of the 93 seats, while the New Democrats won 27, according to the provisional results reported by Reuters. It is the first Conservative provincial election win in British Columbia since 1928. The New Democrats had opposed new oil pipelines and supported a ban on tankers along the province's northern coast.

An energy-first platform

Doerkson promised to ramp up liquefied natural gas production, pledging to double natural gas production by 2032 and more than triple it by 2035. In his victory speech he said: "I believe in energy... We will cut red tape like it's never been cut before." He also promised to "supercharge" British Columbia and to host a business summit in Vancouver next year.

The Conservatives promised to end emissions limits, replace the province's carbon tax framework, and reach out to energy providers that left the province's liquefied natural gas sector since 2018, including ExxonMobil, Chevron and Woodside. Polls showed voters were focused on cost-of-living issues, healthcare, and the ongoing trade war with US President Donald Trump. New Democrat Premier David Eby had called for a strong mandate to confront Trump's tariff threats.

What the result changes

The scale of the win gives Doerkson a clear mandate to reverse the province's recent energy direction, but the pledges on production, pipelines and tax will now be tested against permitting, markets and federal politics.

Source: Reuters, 25 October 2026.