Election 2026: Campaign Roundup - Day 16

Welcome to Day 16 of our British Columbia 2026 Campaign Roundup!

We're bringing you daily updates on all the policy proclamations, platform promises, and political point-scoring from the campaign trail.

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Campaign Roundup - Day 16:

• BC’s health-care wait-list crisis is emerging as a major issue in the provincial election, with an estimated 1.3 million British Columbians waiting to see a specialist. NDP Leader David Eby has promised more doctors and nurses, additional MRI and CT capacity, and coordinated regional surgical wait lists, while BC Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson has proposed reversing emergency-room and maternity closures, creating a $50 million fund for rural medical practices, and establishing an independent body to report on wait times and health outcomes. BC Green Party Leader Emily Lowan has called for safer nurse-to-patient ratios, expanded training, and a single-entry referral model, while CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko has proposed connecting health records across regions and creating a public dashboard showing specialist, surgery, and scan wait times. OneBC has called for an efficiency audit of the health-care system and shifting resources from administration to frontline care.
  
  
• OneBC is calling for BC to have immigration controls similar to those exercised by Quebec, as well as provincial interviews and background checks for new immigrants. The party says it would also require immigrants to speak English or French and be unaffiliated with organizations it identifies as extremist. The party acknowledges that deportation powers rest with the federal government, but says a provincial government could use funding and access to public services to support federal immigration enforcement.
  
  
• The BC NDP announced it would permanently double provincial funding for BC’s public libraries from $14 million to $28 million annually if re-elected. The party said the additional funding would help the province’s 71 public library systems extend hours, expand digital collections and literacy programs, and provide greater access to Wi-Fi, computers and technology training. Provincial funding has been frozen at $14 million since 2010, although the NDP government provided temporary additional funding in recent years.
  
  
• The BC NDP also announced a proposed Small Business Tariff and Wildfire Relief Fund that would provide interest-free loans of up to $1 million to qualifying small and medium-sized businesses affected by recent wildfires or US tariffs. The loans would be available for up to 72 months, with the NDP saying the program would help businesses facing higher costs and lost customers that are not covered by existing federal supports. The party also promised a $5,000 refundable tax credit for small businesses that employ someone between the ages of 18 and 30. The NDP has not yet provided details on which businesses would qualify or how much the loan program would cost.
  
  
• The BC Conservatives unveiled an economic plan that includes temporarily scrapping the PST on immediate business investment in machinery, equipment, and software for three years. Leader Lorne Doerkson also proposed a new minister responsible for red tape reduction, a “one-in, two-out” red-tape rule, and a goal of reducing regulations to 2017 levels by the end of a first term. The plan also calls for a Premier’s Technology Council, a 120-day permitting process for major projects worth more than $250 million, and doubling natural gas production by 2032 under the party’s BC Energy Superpower Plan. Doerkson said the measures are intended to attract investment and create jobs in BC.

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