Adam Pankratz: Eby shoots himself in the foot with cynical election call - National Post
B.C. NDP Leader David Eby Photo by Jason Payne/ PNGArticle contentPremier David Eby fired the starting gun for the 2026 B.C. election on Tuesday and then stubbed his toe, tripped and wobbled through the rest of the week. Anticipating a divided B.C. Conservative party, he has been surprised by the quick coming together of the province’s centre-right politicians, who agree above all else on one thing: Eby has to go.
Lorne Doerkson, the newly minted Conservative leader, has exceeded expectations. Chosen to replace the disaster that was former Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay and her reign of chaos, Doerkson has brought a calm, nonthreatening dad feel to the party.
Gone are the fringe elements and MLAs who had been allowed to flourish under Findlay. The rapid coalescence of a moderate, calm and focused Conservative party has caught Eby off guard. He still seems to think he’s running against Findlay, who he referred to as a “MAGA regional manager,” and U.S. President Donald Trump.
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Eby’s opening press conferences have been replete with references to extremism, Trump and MAGA conservatives. Those accusations may have landed well on Findlay, but they are not sticking to Doerkson, who is widely respected as a salt-of-the-earth, earnest British Columbian.
So far, Eby hasn’t pivoted, and it’s costing him. As he talked of building a “fire break” in British Columbia against Trump, video emerged of Doerkson in the forest actually fighting wildfires. The contrast could not be more stark. Whatever Eby’s qualities and accomplishments may be — and there are few to speak of — they do not include grabbing a hose and jumping on the front lines to combat wildfires.
Indeed, given how awkward Eby generally looks when surrounded by working people, it’s practically an open question as to whether he knows how to open a tap. Pressed on the issue, Eby has had little response to Doerkson’s real-world service, other than implying that he has Trump sympathies. It is risible and beneath the dignity of a premier.
Further, the relentless deflection of blame from Eby to Trump for the sad state of the province after nine years of NDP governance, including nearly four years under Eby, is unlikely to land with voters. At a press conference on Thursday, Eby again blamed Trump for high grocery and gas prices.
