Following weeks of turmoil within the B.C. Conservative Party, NDP Premier David Eby declined Tuesday to rule out the possibility of a snap election this fall. CTV News asked Eby whether he would call an election in light of the seven recent defections the Opposition has suffered since Kerry-Lynne Findlay took over as leader, but he would not answer directly. “I understand that the Conservatives are in significant chaos,” Eby said while taking questions at an unrelated news conference about new schools opening this month. “Our focus remains on delivering for British Columbians, and that’s what we’re going to continue to focus on.” The premier ignored a second request for an unequivocal yes or no answer. On the decision to call the upcoming byelection in Abbotsford-Mission—where Findlay will be seeking a seat in the legislature—in just a few weeks, Eby said he did so because the Conservative representative, Reann Gasper, had already resigned. Peter Milobar, who is part of the recent exodus of Conservative MLAs, has said the new party he’s hoping to create will likely not have enough time to field a candidate in the race. “The leader of the Conservative party deserves an opportunity to try to get elected and to get into the house,” Eby said. He also championed NDP candidate Pam Alexis, who previously served as agriculture minister before losing her seat in the last election. “I think she’s going to beat Kerry-Lynne Findlay and her hateful, divisive, Donald-Trump-sucking-up approach,” Eby said. “I look forward to the byelection, which is why I called it as quickly as possible.”
