Ahead of British Columbia’s election, the NDP was first of the two major parties to release its 64-page platform on Oct. 3, three weeks ahead of election day.
The Conservative’s 71-page platform was released two weeks later on Oct. 18, just six days before election day, and three days after advance polls opened across the province.
The campaign has seen the two sides clash on various issues, with the NDP focusing on U.S. President Donald Trump’s presidency and the changes facing Canada, while the Conservatives have focused on economic issues.
Here’s a look at the promises from each party on seven key topics that have been discussed by the two parties ahead of the upcoming vote.
Cost of Living and Housing
The NDP’s grocery affordability plan proposes a four-pillar strategy targeting retail markups, anti-competitive practices, and pricing transparency. As part of this, NDP Leader David Eby has promised to put a “price guard” in place to stop markups on groceries like milk, eggs, cheese, butter, chicken, and turkey.
The party is pledging to reduce driving expenses by temporarily lifting 10 cents per litre from the provincial fuel tax and tackling what it calls “corporate price gouging,” which it estimates will offer $20 in savings at each fill-up. The NDP is also committing to a three-year freeze of Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) rates.
Eby has proposed hiking the provincial Speculation and Vacancy Tax (SVT) and introducing a new levy targeting completed, unsold condominiums. Funds generated from the measures are pledged toward financing affordable housing projects.
People shop for produce at the Granville Island Market in Vancouver on July 20, 2022. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck
The Conservatives have focused on cutting taxes, reducing regulations, and eliminating supply delays, which the party said will naturally drive down the price of everyday essentials, including food.
One of the party’s chief goals is to cut agricultural red tape, which it said would “repatriate billions in private investment, build a world-class food economy and lower grocery bills for every British Columbian.”
Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson has said his party would cut construction taxes and fees to reduce the cost of building and buying new homes. He has also proposed a multigenerational home renovation tax credit modelled on federal incentives, aimed at creating more living spaces for seniors while “lowering housing costs and freeing up more homes.”
Economy, Taxes, and Deficit
The NDP has promised a small and medium-sized business support package to counter the impacts of U.S. tariffs and recent wildfires, with interest-free loans of up to $1 million per qualifying business. The party is also promising a new refundable tax credit for small businesses that hire a young adult in their first full-time job.
Eby has committed to raising taxes on incomes exceeding $190,405 through a 2 percent hike for earnings up to $1 million. The plan introduces a 24.5 percent tax bracket targeting salaries of more than $1 million, which will impact 4 percent of British Columbia’s income earners. The party estimated this will generate $1 billion per year by 2028-29.
The NDP has not made any specific commitments to pay down the $13.8 billion deficit, but argued its plans to grow the economy would help trim the shortfall.
A container ship docked under gantry cranes at port and the downtown skyline are seen in Vancouver in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck
The Conservatives have criticized the governing NDP’s debt level, and pledged to reduce the provincial deficit to $10.8 billion by 2030. The Tories forecast that this would result in faster economic growth which would generate an additional $2.62 billion in revenue over three years.
The Tory platform projects that achieving gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates of 2.5 percent in 2027, 2.8 percent in 2028, and 3.2 percent in 2029 would generate an additional $2.62 billion in revenue over three years compared with the NDP’s forecast.
Doerkson has pledged to “never raise taxes” and says the party would establish a “red tape reduction” ministry to review and eliminate regulations it considers unnecessary and burdensome to businesses.
The party has also pledged to reduce income tax by $1,000 annually for individuals making more than $40,000, with slightly smaller reductions for those with lower incomes, while establishing a tax-free threshold of $32,000 for earnings—a significant increase from the current $13,216 limit.
Health
The NDP has promised to triple hiring of U.S. physicians and nurses, guarantee free shingles immunizations for those 50 and older, install eight additional MRI machines and 10 more CT scanners, and revamp the wait-list system. It has also pledged to establish a new menopause treatment facility and perinatal care unit.
The Conservatives are pledging not to cut any health services and the party says it will maintain current health-care funding and add an estimated $1.42 billion per year in new operational spending.
The party says it will appoint an expert commission within the first 100 days in office to establish a wait-time guarantee and create a $50 million fund dedicated to keeping rural and remote emergency rooms open, as well as hire and train more doctors and nurses.
Education and Child Care
The core pillar of the NDP education plan is a promise to double skilled trades training capacity in the province by the 2028-29 academic year to fuel the construction sector. The NDP says it will also focus on building schools and hiring more teachers to reduce class sizes.
Eby recently promised to secure a new federal child-care funding deal by Dec. 1 if re-elected.
The Conservatives have vowed to repeal the SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) program in schools and launch a new anti-bullying program in its place.
The party also plans to “prioritize $10-a-day spaces for the children and families with the fewest alternatives and highest need” as well as create 24-hour child-care spaces for shift workers and first responders, and encourage child care at or near worksites such as hospitals.
Indigenous Relations, DRIPA, and Property Rights
The NDP has said it is committed to continuing to work “in partnership” with First Nations, but its platform did not include specific information on future plans.
“We’re expanding guardian programs with First Nations, increasing boots on the ground to protect and look after B.C.’s lands, waters and forests,” the platform said.
A view of the B.C. legislature in Victoria on March 7, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito)
The Conservatives have said they will repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) if elected, and vowed to protect private-property rights by “upholding the validity of the Land Title Act on all fee-simple properties in BC.”
Doerkson’s party also said it would restore equal access to Crown land and provincial parks, while committing to releasing maps and information about active claims, ongoing negotiations, legal proceedings, and agreements that impact public or private land before they become binding.
Energy
Eby’s party has committed to doubling critical minerals production and enlarging the Port of Prince Rupert, aiming to generate employment opportunities and decrease dependence on the United States. It has also said it would speed up authorization processes for emerging mines, fast-track the North Coast Transmission Line, and strengthen smelting and refining capabilities.
The party’s platform doesn’t reference the proposed Pacific Link pipeline project targeting B.C.’s southern coastline.
Doerkson’s Conservatives have said they will create a “B.C. energy superpower plan” to double liquefied natural gas (LNG) output by 2032 and expand it threefold by 2035. The party says this would create employment opportunities, boost public finances, and address worldwide energy shortages. The party has also voiced support for the proposed Pacific Link pipeline.
Public Safety and Overdose Crisis
The NDP is promising to tackle street disorder and vandalism through an expansion of its repeat-offending initiative, as well as hiring 50 Crown prosecutors and establishing a specialized unit dedicated to combating extortion, racketeering, and gang violence.
It also says it will commit $500,000 per year over three years to boost security at Jewish schools and synagogues to address anti-Semitism.
The NDP is also promising “consistent funding” for two centres in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that deliver daytime shelter and support services to the homeless.
The Conservative roadmap for public safety involves hiring 250 more police recruits, 500 more RCMP officers, 30 sheriffs, and 150 civilian staff over five years, according to the platform. The plan also proposes bringing on 50 Crown prosecutors and 20 new trial judges specifically for “high-need target communities.”
It also promises to launch an “anti-extortion action plan” with specialized investigators and victim support services, alongside increased electronic monitoring for those on parole.
The party has said it will address the overdose crisis by focusing on treatment rather than “safer supply” methods, and promised increased access to naloxone to temporarily reverse opioid overdoses.
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