{"id":946358,"date":"2026-10-26T01:32:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T01:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/946358\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T01:32:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T01:32:33","slug":"what-to-expect-from-the-new-b-c-conservative-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/946358\/","title":{"rendered":"What to expect from the new B.C. Conservative government"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/a\/assets\/texttospeech.svg\" alt=\"Text to Speech Icon\" width=\"44\" height=\"44\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n<p>The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The incoming B.C. Conservative government <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/lorne-doerkson-next-premier-5-reasons-9.7395150\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ran its campaign<\/a> on promises to rein in B.C.&#8217;s ballooning deficit and reversing many of the B.C. NDP&#8217;s policies over the last nine years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">According to <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/bc-conservatives-costed-platform-announced-9.7386295\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Conservatives&#8217; platform<\/a>, the party plans to reduce the province&#8217;s deficit to $10.8 billion by 2030. The party is also promising to <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/bc-conservatives-costed-platform-announced-9.7386295\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">freeze outside hiring<\/a>, cut consultants and review spending across ministries to find billions in savings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Here are <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/highlights-bc-provincial-election-campaign-9.7391917\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">some of the promises<\/a> being made by the new Conservative government under premier-designate Lorne Doerkson.<\/p>\n<p>No PST on Canadian booze<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The Conservatives said they will raise B.C.\u2019s basic personal income tax exemption from $13,216 to $32,000, which it says would cut provincial taxes by on average $1,000 per person.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The incoming government says it will not raise existing taxes or introduce new ones, and remove much of the &#8220;red tape&#8221; brought in by the NDP since 2017, including <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/b-c-party-housing-platforms-2026-election-9.7372870\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">around building housing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>WATCH | Doerkson&#8217;s meteoric rise to premier:<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792978351_512_default.jpg\"  alt=\"\" class=\"thumbnail\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"video-item-title\">Lorne Doerkson, from virtual unknown to B.C.&#8217;s next premier<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">In addition, the Conservatives say they will remove the provincial sales tax (PST) on Canadian beer, wine and spirits \u2014 as well as on certain machinery, industrial equipment and software.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">They also want to implement a first job tax credit for businesses on the first $5,000 of payroll for a young British Columbian&#8217;s first job.<\/p>\n<p>Health care and toxic drugs<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The B.C. Conservatives say they are standing firm on keeping B.C.&#8217;s system universal and publicly funded, despite the NDP warning the Conservatives will move towards <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/bc-ndp-health-care-privatization-9.7378216\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">health-care privatization<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The party has promised to complete the new Surrey Hospital and B.C. Cancer Centre, and build a new women&#8217;s and children&#8217;s hospital in Surrey. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A white man is seen in front of a mountain background.\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792978351_721_default.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5805320081847414\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption-oOSXz\">Doerkson has pledged to maintain health-care funding in B.C. (Ethan Cairns\/CBC)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">It has pledged to expand detox and treatment services, along with <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/9.7382129\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ending the safe supply<\/a> of drugs, to deal with the toxic drug crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The party says it will amend the Mental Health Act so officers can connect people with severe addiction or mental health challenges incapable of caring for themselves with &#8220;mandatory care.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p>Transit and auto insurance<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The Conservatives have promised to replace the George Massey Tunnel in Delta with <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/bc-conservatives-george-massey-tunnel-bridge-9.7382127\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a 10-lane bridge<\/a>, and do away with the current tunnel replacement project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">They have also pledged to extend <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/skytrain-surrey-newton-extension-ndp-conservatives-9.7389195\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the SkyTrain to Surrey&#8217;s Newton area<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">In one of the campaign&#8217;s biggest flashpoints, the Conservatives said their government would scrap the province&#8217;s <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/bc-conservatives-no-fault-insurance-9.7372057\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">no-fault auto insurance model<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The party says some vehicle accident victims would be allowed to file lawsuits with capped legal fees.<\/p>\n<p>WATCH | Proposal to largely scrap no-fault insurance:<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792978352_415_default.jpg\"  alt=\"\" class=\"thumbnail\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"video-item-title\">B.C. Conservatives\u2019 plans to scrap no-fault auto insurance raises concerns about rates<\/p>\n<p>LNG and climate change<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The Conservatives&#8217; energy plan says that it would double liquefied natural gas production by 2032 and triple it by 2035.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The party has promised to repeal CleanBC, a B.C. NDP plan to lower climate-changing emissions by 40 per cent by 2030.<\/p>\n<p>Expanding trades training<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The Conservatives have promised to expand dual-credit programs, apprenticeships and paid work experience, make it easier for schools to hire qualified tradespeople, and develop a Future Mining Jobs Blueprint with industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The party has also promised to restore letter grades for grades 4 to 9 and <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/sogi-123-bc-provincial-parties-election-9.7359291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">repeal SOGI 123<\/a>, a teaching resource on sexual orientation and gender identity, and include parental notification and opt-out rights.  <\/p>\n<p>Indigenous rights and reconciliation<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The Conservatives say they would <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/player\/play\/video\/9.7359569\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">repeal<\/a> the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">In his victory speech, Doerkson appealed to First Nations communities as partners in the province\u2019s development, and the party has previously said that scrapping DRIPA would provide more certainty for economic development in B.C.<\/p>\n<p>WATCH |  Doerkson reiterates his intention to repeal DRIPA:<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792978353_380_default.jpg\"  alt=\"\" class=\"thumbnail\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"video-item-title\">Doerkson pledges to repeal DRIPA &#8216;as soon as we can&#8217;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":946359,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,44],"class_list":["post-946358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=946358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/946359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=946358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=946358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=946358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}