Langley MLAs respond to snap election call

Langley’s Conservative MLAs say they are ready for a snap provincial election, while criticizing NDP Premier David Eby for calling one during an ongoing municipal election campaign.

Harman Bhangu, MLA for Langley-Abbotsford, said the riding was fully prepared. He called an early vote, two years after the last general election, a bid by the NDP to retain power. Bhangu said it would overshadow municipal elections and local mayors and councillors whom he said the government had repeatedly ignored and overridden.

Misty Van Popta, MLA for Langley-Walnut Grove, said holding two election dates so close together would create uncertainty and confusion for voters. Municipal elections for Township and City councils and school board trustees are scheduled for Oct. 17. She called the move opportunistic and disrespectful to candidates across British Columbia.

Asked whether the B.C. Conservatives would merge with the CentreBC Party, which recently absorbed eight former Conservatives, Van Popta said she could not speak for the party as a whole. She said the caucus had invited some people to return. Langley-Willowbrook MLA Jody Toor could not be reached. All three Langley MLAs remained in the party caucus.

The party has faced internal conflict since Kerry-Lynne Findlay became leader in May. By last week, 14 MLAs had resigned from the caucus or been removed by Findlay, who stepped down on Sunday, Sept. 20. After the caucus chose Lorne Doerksen as interim leader, several MLAs who had left or were recently expelled committed to rejoin the Conservative caucus. Findlay remains a candidate in the Mission-Abbotsford byelection on Saturday, Sept. 26, which had been intended to give her a seat in the B.C. Legislature as party leader.

The report says the NDP government’s popularity has been affected by high deficits, economic uncertainty and delays in building long-term care homes promised in the last election. The B.C. Conservatives won 44 of 87 seats in the 2024 election but have faced two years of internal fighting and lost two leaders in less than a year. By late August, they had lost their lead in provincial polls.

Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce CEO Cory Redekop said businesses value the opportunity to weigh in on the government’s direction, but another election would add to an already crowded agenda. He said he was concerned it could delay government programs, including tariff supports recently announced by the premier.