B.C.'s incoming premier names chief of staff ahead of swearing-in
B.C. premier-elect Lorne Doerkson has chosen Dimitri Pantazopoulos as his chief of staff, bringing a key figure from the Conservative Party of British Columbia’s provincial election campaign into the incoming Premier’s Office.
The appointment, announced today during the party’s first caucus meeting since the election, will take effect when Doerkson and his cabinet are sworn in.
Doerkson pointed to Pantazopoulos’ previous experience as a reason for selecting him to run his office as the new administration prepares to take power.
According to the announcement, Pantazopoulos has more than 20 years of political strategy and government experience, including previous senior roles in the Premier’s Office.
He previously served as principal secretary to Premier Christy Clark’s initial BC Liberals administration, followed by other roles in intergovernmental relations and trade. A veteran pollster and political strategist, he has worked on campaigns for Stephen Harper, Doug Ford, Jason Kenney, and Andrew Wilkinson. His private sector background includes serving as president of public opinion research firm Yorkville Strategies and as a partner at Maple Leaf Strategies.
“I told British Columbians that when this government is sworn in, it will be ready on day one, and that starts with the people around me,” said Doerkson in a statement.
“Dimitri has spent years working for this province, inside government and out, and he knows what it takes to actually get things done.”
Additional appointments to the Premier’s Office are expected to be announced over the coming weeks.
Lorne and the rest of the elected MLAs will be sworn in on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026. His cabinet will be announced the following day.
Based on Election BC’s preliminary results, the Conservatives will have a decisive majority government of 63 seats, with the BC NDP holding 28 seats and the Green Party of British Columbia with two seats. The final count of the ballots — including ballots that were not counted on election night, such as mail-in ballots — will be held from Nov. 6 to 10.
On Oct. 29, the BC NDP announced New Westminster-Coquitlam MLA Jennifer Whitside as their interim party leader.
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