Eby's Dodgy Gamble

The early verdict is in for David Eby’s Election Call: two thumbs down

Snap polls after the Premier’s unnecessary dissolution of the BC Legislature show an NDP drop. The Conservatives now hold a slim lead even after their self-inflicted leadership wounds. Voters, it seems, do not share David Eby’s desire to call an election two years early.

Ire over the timing of the early election call may be driving some of the backlash. Fully two-thirds of the province says it’s “too soon” to be going to the polls – including 71 per cent of BC Conservative voters but crucially – half of BC NDP voters (52%), too. Further, two-thirds (65%) of the province say David Eby is putting his own interests ahead of the province in calling this election.

Most people work their jobs, pay their mortgages, raise their kids, and are quite happy delegating governance to election victors. A certain amount of opportunism and corruption is tolerated while politicians show up for work every day and maintain a facade of public service. The whole dynamic between government and opposition parties matters, not just for fair play and due process, but for the democratic legitimacy by which elected Ministers of the Crown wield power on our behalf.

The same people who delegated a four-year term of government to one political party do notice when we call them to vote early, and demand to know why.

“It clearly does appear to be an effort to take advantage of a particular situation within the Conservative party. But that's a political thing and it's an ethical thing, right? So, do we want our political leaders and our first ministers to be fair in how they use their powers? Yes. But, that doesn't necessarily mean that the rules themselves prevent them from acting unfairly or seizing a moment,” Philippe Lagassé, political scientist at Carleton University 

Voter fatigue may factor into the election, with BC municipal elections one week before the provincial ballot, meaning both campaigns will run simultaneously. Since the timing is entirely at the Premier's discretion, the Provincial election could have been delayed until the new year, or even until the legislated fixed election date of October 21, 2028. This frames the election call as a cynical attempted power grab by David Eby, whose grip on his own party is slipping.

It is telling that three NDP cabinet ministers have decided to retire from politics for various personal reasons. The election call has freed them from the duty of propping up their party’s one-seat majority or campaigning in an unpopular election. 

David Eby says he needs a renewed mandate from the voters to face the challenges posed by Donald Trump’s challenges to Canada’s economy. It's a tactic that has paid off for the Federal Liberals and Doug Ford’s Ontario PCs, so that this narrative could resonate with BC voters. Unfortunately for the NDP, a quick scan of BC headlines paints a different picture of the single idea on pundits' minds. The central issue in this campaign is shaping to be whether we should be having an election at all.

Kathryn Harrison: University of British Columbia political scientist.

Whatever happens, this BC election campaign promises to be a wild ride.