Week 2 of B.C. campaign centers on economic growth and how to tackle a $13.8-billion deficit

# Economic priorities move to the center of the campaign

Week two of British Columbia's snap election campaign sharpened around economics and the provincial budget. The province is carrying a projected deficit of $13.8 billion. On the campaign trail, both the BC NDP and the BC Conservatives framed expanded resource and energy production as the primary path to reduce that gap.

Competing growth plans

Interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson proposed a clear numeric target for energy production: double LNG output by 2032. Doerkson argued there is a global energy shortage and said allies in Asia and Europe need Canadian LNG.

NDP leader David Eby proposed doubling exports of critical minerals within five years, positioning those exports as a way to reduce reliance on single markets while creating jobs and revenue for public services. Eby also outlined a plan to expand the Port of Prince Rupert so it would rank as the second-largest port of its kind in Canada by 2030.

Both leaders presented resource development as a lever to drive job creation and government revenue that could, in their view, chip away at the deficit.

The deficit question

When asked about the $13.8-billion figure, Doerkson emphasized voters' demand for deficit reduction and said the province cannot continue with recurring deficits. He did not provide detailed fiscal plans or line-by-line measures to eliminate the shortfall.

Eby and the NDP described their growth proposals as the fiscal response, linking export expansion and infrastructure projects to the capacity to sustain health care and public services.

What was left unsaid

Doerkson did not give specifics on spending cuts, revenue measures, or a timeline to balance the budget beyond the growth promise. That leaves practical questions about transition timing, short-term cash flow and how much of the deficit could realistically be reduced within a single mandate.

Eby's plans are target-focused as well—doubling critical-mineral exports and growing port capacity—but the campaign coverage does not include detailed revenue projections, implementation steps, or contingency plans if market or permitting obstacles slow projects.

The Oct. 24 snap election remains the immediate deadline. Economic messaging will likely continue to dominate as both parties attempt to convert growth targets into voter confidence on affordability, services and fiscal responsibility.

Bottom line