---
title: "Doerkson calls snap election cynical, says repealing Indigenous rights law is his top priority"
description: "BC Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson said on September 22 that he would repeal BC's law aligning provincial rules with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, calling that his first priority if elected on October 24."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/lorne-doerkson-dripa-repeal-election-call-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:07:02.903Z"
---

BC Conservative interim leader [Lorne Doerkson](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/lorne-doerkson) said on September 22 that his top priority if elected on October 24 would be repealing BC's law aligning provincial rules with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Abbotsford News reported. He also called Premier David Eby's decision to call a snap election "cynical."

Doerkson made the statements at a news conference in Vancouver, hours after Eby announced the October 24 vote.

## The law Doerkson wants to repeal

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act is a BC law passed under the NDP. It requires the provincial government to align its laws and policies with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, an international agreement. Doerkson said: "The reality is, is that we need clarity on policies that have been put in place over the last decades to get things moving in this province."

He also said his party has a "100 per cent" role in addressing anti-Indigenous racism and committed to keeping that view out of his own public statements.

## His position on the election and the economy

Doerkson said he is running to be premier, not simply filling the role while the party finds a permanent leader. He was appointed interim leader after Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned on September 20. Party rules require members to ratify his leadership before it becomes permanent.

On the economy, Doerkson said: "I blame what's happening in our industry sectors right now on David Eby and the NDP," arguing that the NDP government had years to improve conditions in BC's resource sectors and failed. The Abbotsford News article did not carry a response from Eby to this claim.

## What voters can do

Voters considering the Conservative Party of BC can compare its priorities with those of other parties at [/bc/provincial-2026/parties/conservative-party-of-bc](/bc/provincial-2026/parties/conservative-party-of-bc). Advance voting runs October 16 to 21. Election day is Saturday, October 24.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.