Two leaders went to the same city on the same day with two different answers to the same question. On Day 17 of the campaign, David Eby and Lorne Doerkson both took their economic pitch to Surrey, and on BC War Room, Michael Gardiner and Azim Jiwani broke down who each plan is built for.
Eby offered interest-free loans for tariff-affected businesses and a $5,000 refundable youth hiring credit, a pitch Gardiner said fits a city built on small businesses rather than corporate head offices. Doerkson, speaking at Crown Building Supplies, promised a PST break, a red tape rollback and a 120-day clock on major project permits.
Jiwani read Eby's package as a Trudeau-era pandemic response and Doerkson's as closer to Mark Carney's answer to the tariff war. Gardiner doubted the 120-day target is achievable but called it a smart symbol. Both agreed there were no losers, and no home runs. Surrey remains the prize. Jiwani noted the city tends to move as a bloc, and Gardiner expects it to become BC's largest municipality before long. With polls showing the Conservatives ahead by five to eight points, the hosts turned to gaffes.
Jiwani called the decision to trigger the election the biggest one, arguing the NDP built a campaign for a different opponent. Gardiner pointed to Doerkson's letter to trial lawyers promising to restore the right to sue ICBC, which put a popular NDP win on the table and drew the first real pushback from columnists Vaughn Palmer and Rob Shaw. Jiwani doubted it would stick, noting a similar letter went out under Adrian Dix in 2017, but both agreed the media now sees Doerkson as a likely premier and will expect more from his press conferences.
Gardiner also conceded that Eby's light-hearted shot at Jimmy Pattison was a misstep the premier may need to address at the debate, with Emily Lowan ready to pounce if he apologizes to the billionaire class. On the smaller parties, Jiwani said OneBC and CentreBC face a brand problem: most voters reach for the Coke, the Pepsi or the Orange Crush. He expects Green support to consolidate as the race narrows to Eby versus Doerkson. Gardiner's question is whether it consolidates enough.
Stay tuned to the BC War Room with new episodes dropping every weekday morning until election day.
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