After election pummelling, where does the B.C. NDP go from here?

After a devastating defeat, the B.C. NDP will need to regroup, pick an interim leader, marshal its remaining resources and get ready to oppose the winning B.C. Conservatives.

While the NDP haven’t been set back as much as they were in the 2001 election, when they won just two seats, they’re in a much-reduced position with 28 MLAs elected to the Conservatives’ 63 seats.

That’s down from the 47 seats the NDP held while governing, and less than the 30-plus seats they maintained when in Opposition in various governments since 2005.

Aileen Machell, who was NDP Leader David Eby’s deputy chief of staff for three years until early in 2026, said the NDP will now have to reorient themselves to be an effective and constructive official Opposition.

As part of that, they will want to do what they can to protect the legacy pieces of the B.C. NDP over the last nine years, dating to former Premier John Horgan, and under Eby, who was premier for almost four years, said Machell, who now runs her own public-affairs strategy firm and spent 15 years in senior government communication roles.

“Those are the things that will be popular with British Columbians. Things that have made their lives better, things like expanding affordable child care, the housing measures that helped reduce housing prices and bring rents down, but also a lot of the work on health care and attracting family doctors,” noted Machell.

Much of the blame for the NDP’s loss is being placed on Eby’s decision to call a snap election about two years into the party’s four-year mandate.

Initially, Eby said the election was necessary because of threats posed by U.S. tariffs implemented by American President Donald Trump and Trump-style politics of the B.C. Conservatives.

But when chaotic Tory Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay suddenly stepped down and B.C. Interior MLA Lorne Doerkson was chosen as leader that strategy backfired. Eby tried to pivot from his initial reason for calling the election, focusing on issues like affordability and taxing the rich, but that also failed to gain traction.

Veteran NDP MLA and ex-party leader Adrian Dix has said it was “obviously” a mistake to call a snap election. Dix said the discussion about the election call was very negative and it prevented Eby from getting any other message out.

Eby immediately announced on election night that he would be stepping down as leader.

Now, the NDP will need to choose an interim leader and eventually hold a leadership race.

Machell noted that leadership races can help rejuvenate a party because they help sign up members and fundraise, and provide an arena to debate ideas, which can be exciting for the party membership.