B.C. Conservatives narrowly lead NDP as most oppose snap election: survey | Daily Hive

David Eby's press conference on Sept. 22, 2026, announcing the snap provincial general election. (BC NDP)

Premier David Eby’s decision to call a snap provincial general election faces opposition from most British Columbians, including nearly half of those who currently intend to vote for his party, according to new survey by polling firm Leger.

The survey puts the Conservative Party of British Columbia slightly ahead of the governing BC NDP, but also finds ongoing reservations about the Conservatives’ leadership, candidates, and internal divisions.

Among decided voters, 39 per cent would support the Conservatives, compared with 36 per cent for the BC NDP. The BC Greens stand at 13 per cent, while OneBC and CentreBC each have five per cent. Another two per cent would choose another party or an independent candidate.

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Conducted between Sept. 24 and 28, this survey provides a snapshot of public opinion during the opening week of the campaign for the provincial general election, which is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. The provincial vote also comes just one week after the civic elections across B.C. on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.

The decision to send British Columbians back into a provincial general election, two years before the previously scheduled October 2028 election, under the current majority government led by the BC NDP, is unpopular. Overall, 57 per cent of respondents disapprove of the early election, including 34 per cent who strongly disapprove, while 28 per cent approve.

Even among current BC NDP supporters, opposition to the election timing outweighs support: 49 per cent disapprove, compared with 39 per cent who approve. Disapproval reaches 63 per cent among Conservative supporters and 60 per cent among Green supporters.

Older British Columbians are particularly unhappy with the snap election call. Among respondents aged 55 and older, 69 per cent disapprove, compared with 41 per cent of those aged 18 to 34. Disapproval stands at 55 per cent among residents of Metro Vancouver and 64 per cent living on Vancouver Island.

Younger people more likely to vote Conservative

Although the Conservatives’ overall support level is three per cent ahead province-wide, both major parties have lost support since Leger’s similar survey in June 2026. Conservative support has declined from 45 per cent to 39 per cent, while the BC NDP has fallen from 41 per cent to 36 per cent. Over the same period, Green support has increased from eight per cent to 13 per cent.

In Metro Vancouver, the BC NDP has 39 per cent support among decided voters, compared with 37 per cent for the Conservatives and 12 per cent for the Greens. On Vancouver Island, the two largest parties are tied at 37 per cent, with the Greens at 16 per cent. Outside those two regions, the Conservatives have a larger advantage, with 44 per cent support compared with 31 per cent for the BC NDP.

There are also substantial differences in levels in support by age and gender, with more younger people likely to side with the Conservatives. Among decided voters aged 18 to 34, the Conservatives receive 43 per cent, followed by the BC NDP at 27 per cent and the Greens at 23 per cent. Among those aged 55 and older, the BC NDP leads with 43 per cent, compared with 39 per cent for the Conservatives and six per cent for the Greens.

Men favour the Conservatives over the BC NDP by 42 per cent to 31 per cent, while women favour the BC NDP by 41 per cent to 36 per cent.

Beyond the decided voters, 13 per cent of respondents are undecided about which party they would support. In a separate question about how firmly people hold their preferences, 28 per cent say they are likely to switch their vote, while 54 per cent say they are unlikely to do so and 18 per cent are unsure.

Younger people are especially open to reconsidering their choice: 41 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 say they are likely to switch, compared with 19 per cent of respondents aged 55 and older.

Support for Eby government can co-exist with performance disappointment

For the incumbent BC NDP-led government, the findings also reveal considerable dissatisfaction with the conditions in the province. Overall, 58 per cent say British Columbia is heading in the wrong direction, compared with 35 per cent who believe it is moving in the right direction. The negative outlook is the highest recorded by Leger since September 2023.

That pessimism extends to 25 per cent of BC NDP supporters, although 72 per cent of the party’s supporters still believe the province is moving in the right direction. Among Conservative supporters, 83 per cent believe it is on the wrong track.

A separate question about whether the BC NDP deserves another term shows how support for the Eby government can co-exist with disappointment in its performance. Just 19 per cent of respondents say Eby and the BC NDP have governed well and should be re-elected. Another 22 per cent believe the Eby government has performed poorly but still consider it the best available choice.

Meanwhile, 39 per cent believe the BC NDP-led government has performed poorly and should be replaced by either the Conservatives or Greens, while 19 per cent are unsure.

Among BC NDP supporters specifically, 53 per cent give the Eby government a positive assessment and favour another term. Another 37 per cent want it re-elected despite believing it has governed poorly.

60% believe the Conservatives’ internal issues matter less than the province’s major issues

The Conservatives face their own obstacles in turning dissatisfaction with the BC NDP-led government into votes.

Overall, 57 per cent of respondents are concerned that some Conservative MLAs and candidates hold views they consider too extreme. Another 54 per cent say they are hesitant to vote Conservative because they lack confidence that the party currently has a credible leader, while 53 per cent say its internal divisions make them less likely to support it.

Nevertheless, 60 per cent say the Conservatives’ internal disagreements matter less to them than the major issues facing this province, and 41 per cent place greater importance on removing the BC NDP-led government than on the Conservatives’ recent problems.

Among respondents who say they are likely to change their vote, 71 per cent express concern about the views of some Conservative candidates and MLAs, and 73 per cent express hesitation over the party’s leadership. Yet half of this group also say defeating the BC NDP matters more to them than the Conservatives’ internal issues.

Eby fares slightly better when respondents are asked which leader would make the best premier. He is preferred by 39 per cent, compared with 35 per cent for Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson. Green leader Emily Lowan receives 15 per cent, followed by OneBC’s Dallas Brodie at six per cent and CentreBC’s Elenore Sturko at five per cent.

Healthcare leads as the top issue for BC NDP supporters, and the economy for Conservatives

When people are asked to identify their two most important concerns, healthcare is selected by 28 per cent, housing prices and affordability by 26 per cent, the economy by 23 per cent, and inflation and rising interest rates by 21 per cent. Taxes follow at 11 per cent. Crime and public safety, and the combined category of U.S. tariffs, trade sanctions, and Donald Trump, each receive 10 per cent.

Homelessness, the environment/climate change, jobs/unemployment, provincial deficits, and the opioid and drug toxicity crisis are each identified by eight per cent as one of their top two concerns.

Housing remains prominent, although fewer respondents now identify it as their single biggest issue. That figure has declined from 27 per cent in August 2024 to 14 per cent in the latest survey. Over the same period, the share choosing the economy as their leading concern has increased from eight per cent to 13 per cent.

The parties’ supporters also have different priorities. Healthcare is the single most important issue for 24 per cent of BC NDP supporters, while 19 per cent of Conservative supporters choose the economy. Among Green supporters, housing affordability leads at 27 per cent.

Leger’s survey had 1,003 B.C. adult resident respondents, with a margin of error of +/-3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

A separate similar survey conducted by polling firm Angus Reid from Sept. 22 to 24 — shortly after Eby made the snap election call — found that the Conservatives had 43 per cent support among B.C. voters, versus 35 per cent for the BC NDP.

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