How do British Columbia's three main parties compare on these election issues?

The B.C. Conservative Party says it will eliminate the province's deficit within two terms of government, though it projects a record $11 billion deficit by 2027. The party plans to expand mining and reduce red tape that prevents or delays project approval. Leader John Rustad says he will remove layers of permitting required for forestry projects, create policy around using all parts of trees to reduce waste, and expand supports for farmers. The party wants to bring in private auto insurance companies to compete with ICBC, and eliminate the PST on used cars. Major infrastructure pledges include a new road bridge across Okanagan Lake and extending SkyTrain in Surrey. 

David Eby is planning to cut taxes to the tune of about $1,000 for households and over $500 for individuals, annually. The B.C. NDP wants to create set timelines for mining permit reviews in order to get projects going quickly, while also maintaining a focus on environmental impact and consultation with First Nations. The party is also promising highway upgrades to northwestern B.C. in order to improve access to mining sites for workers and communities. Aside from natural resources, Eby has announced he plans to increase incentives for the film industry to increase local jobs in that sector.

The B.C. Green Party has previously said it supports the implementation of a four-day work week. It also says that, if elected, those earning more than $350,000 would see a tax increase to 22.5 per cent. In addition, the Greens will not spend taxpayer dollars on fossil fuel infrastructure, which includes putting a stop to the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline. No new LNG projects would move forward, new fracking wells would not be permitted and gas production would be phased out under a B.C. Green government. Instead, the party plans to invest in renewable energy, such as solar.

John Rustad and the Conservative Party of B.C. have long said they plan to remove SOGI 123, a program focused on addressing discrimination and acknowledging varying genders and sexual orientations, from schools. The party says it will replace SOGI 123 with zero-tolerance anti-bullying programs. It also says it will restore letter grades for students in grades 4-9 and reinstate standardized provincial exams for Grade 10 and 12 students. Private businesses will also be incentivized to create daycare spaces throughout B.C., while 24-hour child-care spaces would be created to support shift workers and first responders, the party says.

The B.C. NDP is promising to expand the province's $10-a-day child-care model with a $500 million investment. It is also promising to build 20,000 new spaces for students from kindergarten to Grade 12 in B.C.'s fastest-growing communities, add an education assistant to every classroom from kindergarten to Grade 3 and a mental health counsellor to every public school. On recruitment, it will add incentive programs to attract teachers to high-need areas and streamline certification for people already working as teachers on call. The NDP also pledges to continue with cellphone restrictions and create new resources aimed at addiction and drug-use prevention. 

More than $100 million will be set aside annually by the B.C. Greens to ensure all middle school and high school students have a laptop for coursework, should the party form government. The party says it will invest $250 million to expand the number of child-care spaces for children under five, and another $100 million for renovations and additions to schools to support early childhood education. The Greens plan to keep SOGI 123 in classrooms and increase the counsellor-to-student ratio in schools. For post-secondary schools, the party will provide $5 million each year for offices that support victims of sexual violence.

John Rustad was removed from B.C. United in 2022 for comments on social media casting doubt on climate change science. If elected, he has promised to do away with the carbon tax and low carbon fuel emissions standard. The party says it will amend the Clean Energy Act to allow for nuclear power in the province’s energy mix, and explore the possibility of establishing a small modular reactor in B.C. The Conservatives say they will also examine the viability of geothermal electricity generation. The party is promising to reverse course on the plastic straw and cutlery ban, bring back plastic bags and eliminate the mandatory fee for shopping bags. 

After years of protests in B.C. around the protection of old growth forest, David Eby says he is committed to protecting old growth. He also wants to phase out the use of Round Up pesticides in B.C. forests. Eby has said he would scrap the carbon tax if the federal government decides to drop it as a requirement. If elected, the NDP wants to double the number of EV charging stations across the province by 2030. The party is promising to plant 300 million trees per year to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Sonia Furstenau says if she's elected premier, she would keep the carbon tax and increase it for companies creating the most pollution in the province — and ultimately, there would be bigger rebates for most British Columbians. The Greens' plan also focuses on the protection of local ecosystems and ending fossil fuel subsidies. No new permits for fracking, pipelines or LNG would be granted and gas production would be phased out. Public funding for B.C. Hydro that supports LNG projects would be stopped. The party has set a goal of protecting 30 per cent of B.C.'s land and water by 2030. 

The B.C. Conservatives are promising to reduce administrative costs in health care and focus on spending money on frontline staff. The party has pledged to build a new children's hospital in Surrey and oversee extensions to hospitals in Mission, Nanaimo and Prince George. It also plans to implement a wait-time guarantee for select diagnostics and surgical procedures. The Conservatives also promise to compensate health-care workers who lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. They say they will allow for both public and private health-care options and allow patients who are waiting for care in B.C. to access services at approved out-of-province clinics.

If re-elected, the B.C. NDP says it will expand the program allowing pharmacists to prescribe medication and expand the range of services physician assistants can provide. Leader David Eby has said he will build more Urgent and Primary Care Centres, and expand their hours to include nights. Sick notes and other "tedious" paperwork will be eliminated under an NDP government, Eby promises, giving doctors more time with patients. Menopause hormone replacement treatment would be free under a David Eby government. He has also promised an NDP government would cover travel costs for cancer treatments and says it will expand employment protections for people with serious illnesses to 27 weeks.

The B.C. Green Party wants to make all vaccines free for all British Columbians. Funding for nurses in the public health-care system will be increased, but the party has not said by how much. Tobacco sales in pharmacies will end, as will advertising for nicotine and vaping products. The party has said it plans to establish a community health centre in each of B.C.'s 93 ridings, replacing urgent and primary care centres.

Leader John Rustad has announced a rebate plan exempting $1,500 a month in housing costs for both renters and homeowners starting in 2026. That exemption would increase up to $3,000 by 2029. He's also said he plans to eliminate provisions under Bill 44, which allow multi-unit housing in single-family home neighbourhoods, and accelerate project approvals. His party also plans to bring in incentives for rental construction and promises not to bring in low-barrier housing or shelters in communities that don't want them.

The B.C. NDP has budgeted $1.29 billion to finance up to 40 per cent of the purchase price on homes for middle-income families in the province. Leader David Eby says more than 300,000 middle-class homes are expected to be built in B.C. as part of his party's housing plan. He said he wants to cut red tape preventing construction on smaller, multi-unit developments, and to use public land to build more homes. He plans to continue to cap residential rent at or below inflation, end no-pet clauses in purpose-built rentals and wants to bring in pre-approved designs to speed up construction on new homes.

Leader Sonia Furstenau's housing plans include a promise to build 26,000 affordable rental units per year through projects like housing co-operatives. She plans to utilize public land specifically for non-profit housing and to purchase more land on which to build affordable housing as part of a $1.5 billion housing budget. The party is the only one so far to promise introducing vacancy control so that landlords can't hike rent in between tenants. They've also announced a plan to increase tax rates for homes valued over $3 million to make wealthy owners pay more.

The B.C. Conservative Party says it is seeking economic reconciliation for Indigenous groups, which includes the "strategic" return of lands to First Nations – including the return of 20 per cent of B.C. forests – and supporting First Nations to be economically independent. The party's platform says it will work with First Nations to develop new legislation guided by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that "advances, not stalls, economic reconciliation and Indigenous autonomy."

The B.C. NDP says it will continue to support the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, adopted in 2019 with unanimous support from all parties, saying it provides a path forward on major projects while eliminating the "uncertainty and chaos" of the past. It pledges to protect 30 per cent of B.C.'s land and water by 2030, as part of an agreement signed with federal and First Nations leaders in 2023. It says it will build more housing both on and off reserve for Indigenous people around the province, advance Indigenous education and training opportunities and expand support for urban Indigenous people through friendship centres.

The Green Party of B.C. says it will recognize all Indigenous governments and provide them with funding comparable to other levels of government. It also plans to introduce an Indigenous Languages Act that will enable use of Indigenous names on government identification. The Land Act will also get an overhaul to ensure the rights of Indigenous communities are accounted for if the Greens are elected. 

Party leader John Rustad says he will bring in laws allowing for involuntary care of people suffering from severe addiction disorders, and that the Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam will be redeveloped. After the B.C. NDP walked back its drug decriminalization program in April, the Conservatives are planning to reverse the pilot project altogether. The party says it plans to appoint an addictions specialist to oversee the government's response to the toxic-drug crisis, cut wait times for addiction treatment, develop drug education programs and go after illegal sources of drugs "with new urgency."

David Eby's NDP government recriminalized the use of hard drugs in public spaces in April, just over a year after it began its decriminalization pilot project. Eby also said he would expand the use of involuntary care in select situations. The party says it will establish a new $50 million fund for mental health care and continue opening new Foundry centres to support access to care for youth, "quadrupling the number since 2017." It also plans to build another Red Fish Healing Centre, expand specialized treatment for parents going through addiction recovery and people with brain injuries, add Indigenous-led programs and create a treatment centre specifically for construction workers. 

With former chief coroner Lisa Lapointe on their side, the B.C. Greens are pledging to expand the prescribed safer supply program to address the province's toxic drug crisis. The party plans to have supervised consumption spaces in all public hospitals. It also plans to establish a standard of care for treatment programs and a database to help track outcomes for patients. A review of the Mental Health Act will be completed, psychotherapy will be regulated in the same way as other health professions, and mental health support will be an option for those calling 911, the Greens have pledged.

After the B.C. NDP walked back its drug decriminalization program in April following concerns over public safety from local elected officials and police, the B.C. Conservatives are planning to reverse the decriminalization pilot project altogether. It's platform vows to end tent cities "once and for all" by moving residents into support services. The party says it will increase funding for law enforcement and is looking at harsher penalties for gang-related crimes and violence. The Conservatives are also looking at justice reform measures to deal with repeat offenders and people convicted of violent crimes. 

David Eby says he will continue to push Ottawa on strengthening bail and sentencing conditions if his party is re-elected. The NDP says it will bring in new hate-crime legislation and ramp up efforts to seize money and property from organized crime. It will expand the availability of transition housing for those fleeing domestic abuse and expand the use of involuntary care for people with severe mental health issues, addiction or brain injuries. The party is also promising higher fines for people speeding in cars that are valued over $150,000, more red light cameras at busy intersections and a dedicated highway patrol that he says would reduce policing costs.  

A special taskforce to investigate missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people would be created under a B.C. Green Party government. Police agencies would be required to collect data on race and other demographic data, and share publicly. A new provincial police service would be established under the Community Safety and Policing Act, allowing First Nations to have input on their local police services. 

The Conservative Party of B.C. has vowed to boost tax credits for family caregivers, increase funding for home-support services and expand access to home care. The party also plans to add 5,000 new long-term care beds by 2030; provide funding for costly necessities like eyeglasses, hearing aids and shingles vaccines; and expand HandyDART services to areas of greatest need. Seniors' safety is also on the docket, as the party promises harsher penalties for crimes against seniors, and plans to keep seniors safe from scams through targeted educational campaigns.

The B.C. NDP has announced it would build more senior-friendly housing and increase the seniors supplement by $50 to $149 per month. The party also says it will spend $324 million over three years to hire nurses, home support workers and other staff that help seniors live independently through programs like Better at Home and Hospital at Home. It says it will build 5,400 new or replacement beds in long-term care facilities and has committed to give seniors free access to transit during off-peak hours.

Sonia Furstenau's Green Party plans to provide more financial assistance to low-income seniors who rent, and they want to apply vacancy control to assisted living. The party wants to increase long-term care beds by about 10 per cent and improve respite care and day programs.