B.C. premier-designate Lorne Doerkson hints at a fall legislative session

B.C. Conservative Party Leader Lorne Doerkson and family during Election night at Rocky Mountaineer Station in Vancouver. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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Just hours after his supermajority victory in the provincial election Saturday, B.C. premier-designate Lorne Doerkson suggested he may call a fall session.

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Speaking to reporters, Doerkson promised immediate action on tax cuts as well as the establishment of a panel to look into emergency room closures.

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The interim leader of the B.C. Conservatives did not provide an idea of when he may appoint a cabinet but did say he has appointed Kim Henderson, former deputy minister to B.C. Liberal premier Christy Clark and then-head of the public service, as the chair of his transition team.

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“Briefings with the public service begin in the coming days. We are going to do this properly, and we are going to do it with obviously some urgency. When this government is sworn in, it will be ready on day one, and it will hit the ground running,” Doerkson told reporters at the JW Marriot Parq Vancouver hotel.

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“On day one, we will launch an independent review of the province’s finances. The deficit, as you know, is nearly $14 billion dollars, and B.C. has had eight credit downgrades in three years.

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“We need to know where things stand. Before we table a budget, you will have the full picture, and within the first 100 days we will stand up the expert commission on keeping our emergency rooms open and cutting wait times.”

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In terms of legislation, Doerkson said his first big bill will raise the basic personal exemption to $32,000, meaning British Columbians will not pay any tax on their earnings up to that amount.

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His government will need to make that change by January 1 if he wants British Columbians to see the benefits during the 2027 tax year.

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As far as leading a sitting legislature, Doerkson didn’t rule out a fall session.

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“It’s been 12 hours, or maybe even less since we left the election,

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“I think it’s important to keep that option available and open to us. Of course, we have much to do before we can get there to make that decision.”

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He said he also wants to get legislation passed to legally ban provincial and municipal campaigns from happening within 90 days of each other.

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Other priorities mentioned by the premier-designate include the repeal of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which stipulates that provincial legislation must be brought in line with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and a conference call with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to discuss the proposed Pacific Link pipeline.

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“The trade conflict with the United States is the biggest economic threat that this province faces, and it did not pause for our election,” said Doerkson.

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“Our resources are the strongest hand that British Columbia holds, and we will for sure play them. We are going to supercharge this economy, and that means getting projects to yes, building out LNG, and getting our energy to new markets in Asia, and making British Columbia the most attractive place in the world to invest.”