In politics … as in comedy … timing is crucial.
So, with the Official Opposition BC Conservatives in turmoil (at one point last week, they had two MLAs claiming to be Leader) and now a new leadership campaign under way, it must be tempting for Premier David Eby to call a snap Spring election.
In fact, some “working” journalist pundits, have suggested that could indeed happen.
It will NOT … and I’ll tell you why.
First of all, the BC economy is in a mess: the current year’s deficit will be an estimated $11.6 Billion; BC’s debt will soon top $134 Billion … up more than 50% in just two years!
BC’s unemployment rate nudged down in November to 6.4% from 6.6% in October, but in some important large voting blocks/areas, it actually went up:
“The unemployment rate for women is on the rise, jumping from 13.8 per cent to 14.3 per cent for women aged 15 to 24, and 4.8 to 5.4 per cent for core-aged women 25 to 54 years old,” the Vernon Morning Star noted.
“The unemployment rates in Vancouver and Victoria both dropped by 0.1 percentage points, with Vancouver’s rate falling to 6.2 per cent and Victoria’s to 4.1 per cent. But in Kelowna, the situation is very different, where unemployment rose from 9.3 per cent to 11 per cent,” the newspaper pointed out. (Read the details here: https://vernonmorningstar.com/2025/12/05/b-c-s-unemployment-rate-decreases-but-not-for everyone/#:~:text=The%20latest%20jobs%20report%20shows,cent%20from%20October%20to%20November.)
Then there was last week’s announced closure of the Crofton pulp mill, with a loss of 350 jobs and the community’s largest employer since 1957.
Eby tried to blame Trump’s tariffs … but company/industry officials pointed out the vast bulk of the Crofton pulp exports go to Asia, not the US, and blamed delays in getting cutting permits, lack of affordable fiber sources and poor pulp prices.
And just five days ago, BC business leaders warned in a letter to Eby/NDP government” the economic trends emerging over the past two years are the most troubling the province has seen in decades.”
“The letter highlights that nearly 60,000 people in B.C. migrated to other provinces in the last year, representing the largest outmigration since the late-1990s and mid-1970s,” the Daily Hive reported. (You can read the full article here: https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-government-david-eby-business-organizations-fix-economy.)
All that is on top of the now-routine complaints/failures of the NDP government to adequately deal with long-ongoing Hospital Emergency closures, treatment delays, public safety concerns, homelessness, mental health issues.
If that’s not enough for Eby to rule out a Spring vote, there’s also unhappiness, even growing anger among British Columbians about the NDP government’s handling of First Nations.
The media hasn’t covered the issue much (too afraid?) but I sense millions of British Columbians now believe the NDP’s panders too much to First Nations … handing over millions of dollars for questionable reasons or without adequate controls of where/how the money is spent; giving FN almost veto powers over major economic development projects, and, maybe the worst, adopting the UN Declaration of Indigenous People’s Rights and other policies without fully realizing the disastrous implications that could have for ALL private property rights in BC.
Just days ago, a B.C. property company stated ” a lender has pulled out of financing a new building because of the recent Cowichan Tribes ruling that granted Aboriginal title to more than three square kilometres in Richmond.”
“Montrose Property Holdings, which develops industrial warehouses on land it owns, some of it in the Aboriginal claims area, said it had been in “advanced discussions” with the lender which it had successfully dealt with several times before, and a prospective tenant,” The Vancouver Sun said.
“But talks ended because of “uncertainties and risk allocation issues” raised by the B.C. Supreme Court ruling in August, the company says in an application to reopen the court case that will be filed soon.”
And the company said several other projects have also been affected. (Here’s the full article: https://vancouversun.com/news/bc-company-says-lost-lender-tenant-new-development-after-cowichan-ruling.)
Eby needs time … in the Courts and with Legislative changes… to deal with this HUGE problem that many voters believe the “woke” NDP created.
Elections BC reported that vote in October 2024 cost BC taxpayers $82.4 million … not something most would relish spending again so soon. (The NDP also spent $13.4 million and the Conservatives $10 million.)
Remember, Eby/NDP barely hung on to power in the last election.
With all these issues and fears impacting the province, a Spring election would be a gift to the BC Conservatives, especially if they find a leader who can hold the party together for more than a few months … and impress the voters.
Harv Oberfeld
(Follow @harveyoberfeld on “X” for FREE First Alerts to new postings on this blog.)
