BC Conservatives Extend Lead Over NDP to 10 Points: Poll 

The B.C. Conservatives, who have been without a leader for five months, have opened a 10-point lead over the governing NDP as concerns about private property rights continues to rise in the province, a new survey suggests.

The Conservatives are still three weeks away from selecting a leader, but a new Angus Reid poll found the party has 46 percent support among decided and leaning voters compared to the NDP’s 36 percent. Trevor Halford, MLA for Surrey-White Rock, has been serving as the interim leader of the B.C. Conservatives after former leader John Rustad resigned in December 2025.

The party’s lead over Premier David Eby’s New Democrats shows a major shift in voter intention. Data from Angus Reid dating back to December 2024 shows the NDP and Conservatives neck-and-neck in voter support, both hovering in the low 40s and with no more than a three percentage point difference between them.

The survey of more than 800 B.C. residents also found support for Eby has plummeted, from 53 percent last April to just 33 percent this month. A majority—58 percent—disapprove of his performance, including 31 percent of those who voted NDP in the last election.

Angus Reid also measured public backlash against the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), which the provincial government passed into law in November 2019.

Forty-seven percent of residents surveyed support a repeal of the legislation, including 26 percent of those who voted NDP in the 2024 provincial election.

All five Conservative leadership candidates have vowed to eliminate DRIPA if they become premier.

DRIPA establishes a United Nations declaration as the province’s framework for reconciliation. It mandates consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples to protect rights, such as self-determination and land rights, and requires an action plan for implementation.

The act has emerged as a major issue in B.C. following a series of major legal rulings around the legislation. A B.C. Supreme Court ruling last year granted the Cowichan Nation title rights to large areas in Richmond, B.C., and nearby regions. The province and the City of Richmond have both filed appeals, arguing the decision disrupts the land title system and affects private property rights.

While Eby has not said the act should be repealed, he told First Nations leaders in April he planned to suspend the act for a period of up to three years. Eby retracted his statement in response to backlash from that community.

“This has been, if I can speak frankly, probably the most challenging issue I’ve worked on in government,” Eby said at the time. “It is absolutely possible, as a leader, to move off confidently in the wrong direction.”

Eby’s response was noted in the report of the survey results. The poll found that 55 percent of respondents said Eby had done a “bad” or “very bad job”  in balancing aboriginal land rights with private property rights, a figure that increased to 83 percent among Conservative voters.

The poll also highlighted the confusion surrounding DRIPA’s impacts on property rights. Respondents expressed uncertainty about whether DRIPA gives First Nations the authority to veto land development within the province. Thirty-nine percent said it does, 26 percent believed it does not, while 35 percent indicated they were unsure.

Survey takers also responded to questions on the impact DRIPA could have on the economy. Fifty-one percent said the province would be “worse off” or “much worse off” under DRIPA.  This percentage increased among those who claimed to understand the legislation, with 60 percent in the “worse” category.

The poll also uncovered a notable divide among survey takers regarding the province’s efforts to tackle reconciliation. Forty-one percent said enough progress has been made already, while 34 percent argued there is still a lot of work to be done, and 17 percent said only a little bit of work remains. Eight percent were unsure.

Race for Top Spot

The candidates seeking to fill the spot left vacant by John Rustad’s resignation as Conservative leader on Dec. 4 of last year are former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Iain Black, former federal MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, commentator and think tank senior fellow Caroline Elliott, businessman and philanthropist Yuri Fulmer, and current MLA Peter Milobar, who is now the only sitting legislator seeking the leadership of the official Opposition.

Several candidates have withdrawn from the race in recent weeks, including contractor Warren Hamm and Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman, who have thrown their support behind Fulmer.

Langley-Abbotsford MLA Harman Bhangu and former Save-on-Foods executive Darrell Jones, who dropped out of the race last month, are endorsing Elliott.

Voting is set to begin on May 9 and the winner will be declared on May 30, giving the new leader more than two years in the role before the next scheduled provincial election.