Election 2026: Campaign Roundup - Day 19

Welcome to Day 19 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.

As always, our work is entirely funded by donations from British Columbians just like you, so if you appreciate the updates, please consider making a one-off donation or signing up as a supporter for just $10 a month - that's just 36 cents per email!

Campaign Roundup - Day 19:

• Overlapping local and provincial elections in BC are causing confusion for voters and stretching campaign resources, with municipal candidates reporting that some voters are mixing up election dates and candidates. Municipal elections take place October 17th, while the provincial election is October 24th, with provincial advance voting overlapping with municipal election day. The Union of BC Municipalities has criticized the snap election call, while candidates have raised concerns about volunteer burnout, staffing shortages, and the provincial campaign drawing attention away from local races. NDP Leader David Eby said he had confidence in voters’ ability to participate in both elections.
  
  
• The BC Conservatives proposed a First Job Tax Credit to encourage businesses to hire young workers, following reports that nearly 14,000 young British Columbians lost their jobs last month. The party says the credit would help young people gain their first work experience, develop skills, and build their futures in BC.
  
  
• Speaking of taxes, they have emerged as a central issue in the provincial election, with party leaders proposing competing approaches to income taxes and affordability. NDP Leader David Eby has proposed suspending gas taxes and increasing income taxes on high earners, including a new bracket for those earning more than $1 million. BC Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson has promised no new taxes, a $1,000 annual income-tax cut for nearly every working British Columbian and eliminating the PST on certain business investments. Meanwhile, BC Green Leader Emily Lowan has proposed a one-time wealth tax on net assets above $50 million, which the party estimates would raise $22.2 billion.
  
  
• OneBC questioned BC Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson’s pledge to repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), asking whether the Conservatives would fully repeal the legislation or replace it with a proposed “reconciliation act”. Doerkson says a Conservative government would repeal DRIPA, protect property rights, and return important decisions to elected representatives.
  
  
• The BC Greens unveiled a climate plan proposing a major overhaul of the province’s oil and gas royalty system, an end to subsidies for fossil fuel expansion, and a tax on windfall profits. The plan also calls for a new climate action plan with annual public reporting, binding emissions limits if existing measures fall short, and opposition to the proposed Pacific Link pipeline.

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