British Columbia has a new government. On preliminary results, the BC Conservatives won 63 of 93 seats with about 48% of the vote, forming the province's first Conservative government in nearly a century. The NDP fell to 28 seats, and David Eby announced on election night that he is stepping down as leader.
For the season finale of the BC War Room, Michael Gardiner and Azim Jiwani were joined by Margareta Dovgal, the newly elected Conservative MLA for Vancouver-Yaletown.
Dovgal said public safety is her top priority, a commitment reinforced on election day itself, when she and her partner stayed with a frightened small business owner while a man circled her shop until security arrived. She also drew on more than a decade in the resource sector, arguing that resource investment supports professional jobs in downtown Vancouver and funds the services British Columbians rely on.
On Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson's plan to repeal DRIPA, Dovgal said the law's intentions were understood but its delivery eroded certainty and public trust. Any change, she said, must be made with precision, respect for the rule of law and public confidence. She said she looks forward to working with Vancouver Mayor-elect Pete Fry where they agree, while acknowledging they will differ on issues like overdose prevention sites.
Gardiner said the result was driven by New Democrats staying home: more than 230,000 fewer votes for the NDP, while the Conservatives held their vote. He credited Eby with taking responsibility on election night, and drew two lessons for his party: a government that doesn't communicate its record pays for it, and a snap election call needs a clear, credible reason from day one. Dovgal pointed to the story of the premier's family's $10-a-day childcare spot as a turning point. Jiwani summed it up: Eby chose politics over people, and Doerkson chose people over politics.
Asked what she wants to tell voters four years from now, Dovgal said she wants to show tangible results: a safer downtown, people getting the treatment and support they need, and small business owners investing with confidence.
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