Doerkson defends Conservative 3.2% growth projection as achievable
BC Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson says the party's economic growth target of 3.2 per cent by 2029 is achievable, while NDP leader David Eby says the platform has major cost omissions.
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BC Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson said at a Maple Ridge campaign stop on October 19 that his party's projection of 3.2 per cent economic growth by 2029 is achievable. NDP leader David Eby said the same day that the Conservative platform has "major omissions" in how the party would pay for its plans, according to CityNews Vancouver reporting by Brenna Owen of The Canadian Press.
The Conservative platform projects GDP growth of 2.5 per cent in year one, 2.8 per cent in year two, and 3.2 per cent in 2029, according to CityNews Vancouver. The party says these figures would produce $2.6 billion in new revenue over three years and reduce the provincial deficit to $10.8 billion. All figures are the Conservative Party's own projections and have not been independently verified.
The 3.2 per cent target is more than 50 per cent higher than the forecast in the last provincial budget, CityNews Vancouver reports. The article also notes it is higher than recent Bank of Canada and International Monetary Fund projections at the national level.
Doerkson told the Maple Ridge crowd the growth is "absolutely doable." He said industries including natural gas, forestry, mining and agriculture have held back investment because of "fear" under the NDP government and will invest after a change in government. These are Doerkson's own claims about future investor behaviour.
Eby, speaking at a Vancouver campaign stop on the same day, said the Conservatives are "torquing the numbers." He pointed to the party's plan to cut the Provincial Sales Tax on alcohol as a commitment that has not been costed. "They failed to cost basic platform commitments like their cut to the (Provincial Sales Tax) on alcohol, which costs almost $300 million," Eby said, according to CityNews Vancouver. "It is all with the aim of minimizing the reality of the cuts they're going to have to make."
The Conservative Party is not quoted in the CityNews article responding to Eby's PST figure.
The provincial election is October 24, 2026. Advance voting ran October 16 to 21. You can see all /bc/provincial-2026/parties platforms on this site to compare what each party has committed to before voting day.
Questions this story answers
What economic growth rate is the BC Conservative platform projecting?
The BC Conservative platform projects economic growth of 3.2 per cent by 2029, according to CityNews Vancouver reporting on October 19, 2026. The platform sets out a path of 2.5 per cent growth in the first year, 2.8 per cent in the second, and 3.2 per cent in 2029. The party says this would produce $2.6 billion in new revenue over three years and reduce the provincial deficit to $10.8 billion. The party calls this growth achievable based on increased private investment from industries including natural gas, forestry, mining and agriculture.
How does the Conservative growth projection compare to the provincial budget forecast?
The BC Conservative projection of 3.2 per cent growth by 2029 is more than 50 per cent higher than the forecast in the last provincial budget, according to CityNews Vancouver reporting on October 19, 2026. The article also notes the Conservative figure is higher than recent national-level projections by the Bank of Canada and International Monetary Fund, though those cover the whole country and not BC alone.
What did NDP leader David Eby say about the Conservative platform costing?
NDP leader David Eby said at a Vancouver campaign stop on October 19, 2026, that the Conservatives are 'torquing the numbers' and that their platform has major omissions in how the party would pay for its plans. He cited the Conservative proposal to cut the Provincial Sales Tax on alcohol, which he said costs almost $300 million, as an example of a platform commitment the party has not costed. Eby said the omissions are aimed at minimizing the reality of cuts the party would have to make, according to CityNews Vancouver.
Where did Doerkson make these comments?
Lorne Doerkson made these comments at a campaign stop in Maple Ridge, BC, in the final days before the October 24 provincial election, according to CityNews Vancouver reporting by Brenna Owen of The Canadian Press, published October 19, 2026. Maple Ridge is in the Metro Vancouver region. The story was first published by The Canadian Press.
What industries does Doerkson say would invest in BC under a Conservative government?
Doerkson said industries including natural gas, forestry, mining and agriculture are waiting for a change in government to invest in BC, according to CityNews Vancouver. He said these industries have held back investment because of fear under the previous NDP government. The platform's growth projection depends in part on that private investment materializing after a change in government.
What is the Conservative platform's projected deficit figure?
The BC Conservative platform projects the provincial deficit would shrink to $10.8 billion, according to the platform figures reported by CityNews Vancouver on October 19, 2026. The platform also projects $2.6 billion in new revenue over three years. These figures are the party's own projections; they have not been independently verified. The platform's deficit target is based on the party's growth projections of 2.5, 2.8 and 3.2 per cent over three years.
What did Eby say about the PST cut on alcohol?
David Eby said at a Vancouver campaign stop that the Conservative platform fails to cost a proposed cut to the Provincial Sales Tax on alcohol, which he said costs almost $300 million. Eby's quote appeared in CityNews Vancouver on October 19, 2026, as part of a report by Brenna Owen of The Canadian Press. The Conservative Party has not publicly responded to that specific figure, and the CityNews article carries no Conservative response to the PST cost estimate.
Where can I read more about the BC Conservative and NDP platforms before voting day?
You can compare BC party platforms at /bc/provincial-2026/parties on this site. Voting day for the BC provincial election is October 24, 2026. Advance voting ran October 16 to 21, 2026. To find your voting place, visit Elections BC's website or check /bc/provincial-2026/news for the latest election information from this site.
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