Opinion: Eby says this election is about Trump. Doerkson's top priority is one law. Voters say it is the cost of living

This article is the opinion of the voche.me editors. The facts it relies on are listed with their sources at the end.

On September 22, two leaders each said what this election is about. In the first days of October a survey asked British Columbians the same question. The three answers are different.

What Mr. Eby said

David Eby dissolved the legislature on September 22. Victoria News reported his reason: the province faces an "existential moment" as U.S. tariffs damage its economy. "Join me in saying, 'Hell no!' to Trump and to his politics for British Columbia," he said.

The same report notes that the last election was on October 19, 2024. Mr. Eby was less than two years into a four-year term.

What Mr. Doerkson said

Lorne Doerkson answered the same afternoon. Abbotsford News reported that he called the election call "cynical", and that he named his top priority if the Conservative Party of BC wins: repealing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

He said the province needs "clarity on policies that have been put in place over the last decades to get things moving in this province". The report adds that he said the repeal is no attack on Indigenous people.

What voters said

The Angus Reid Institute surveyed 1,013 adults in British Columbia from October 1 to 3. It asked which issues are most important to their vote. Here is the share of people who named each one:

• cost of living, 57 per cent
• health care, 42 per cent
• the economy and jobs, 26 per cent
• housing affordability, 24 per cent
• the deficit, 24 per cent
• public safety, 24 per cent
• the opioid crisis, 15 per cent
• climate change, 14 per cent
• the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, 14 per cent
• poverty, 13 per cent
• U.S. tariffs, Donald Trump and the ban on U.S. alcohol, 10 per cent

Mr. Eby's reason for the election has the lowest share of the eleven issues the institute's report names. The institute reported that it stood at 15 per cent at the start of the campaign and has fallen to 10.

Mr. Doerkson's top priority is named by 14 per cent, the same share as climate change.

For each person who names tariffs, 5.7 people name the cost of living. For each person who names the law Mr. Doerkson wants to repeal, four people name the cost of living.

A second survey points the same way

Ipsos surveyed British Columbians for Global News, which reported the result on October 1. Its summary of the findings says that "while the BC NDP says U.S. tariffs are top of mind, voters are saying otherwise".

The Angus Reid Institute also asked who would be the best premier. Mr. Doerkson was named by 36 per cent and Mr. Eby by 33 per cent. Another 31 per cent said neither of them is the best choice.

What voters think of the election itself

Leger surveyed British Columbians from September 24 to 28. Daily Hive reported the result: 57 per cent disapprove of the early election and 28 per cent approve.

Among people who intend to vote for Mr. Eby's own party, 49 per cent disapprove and 39 per cent approve.

What can be said in their defence

A fair reader should weigh three points.

Tariffs and prices are connected. A trade war can raise what families pay, so a premier who talks about tariffs can say he is talking about the cost of living.

Both leaders have made promises on household costs. Daily Hive reported that Mr. Eby promised on October 1 to suspend part of the provincial gas tax, and on October 2 to cap the profit that stores make on some basic foods. The Canadian Press reported that Mr. Doerkson promised on September 27 to bring in no new taxes, and his party promised to remove sales tax from Canadian alcohol.

A leader may also believe that an issue matters more than voters think it does. Leading sometimes means saying so.

We have weighed these points. A leader's first answer shows what he puts first. Mr. Eby's first answer was a foreign president. Mr. Doerkson's was one law. The first answer of 57 per cent of British Columbians was the cost of rent, food and fuel.

What we ask

The three leaders debate on October 14. We ask Mr. Eby and Mr. Doerkson for one number each that evening.

How much less will a family of four pay in a year under your plan, and where is the calculation?

A promise with a number can be checked after the election. A speech about Mr. Trump or about one law cannot.

Our other articles ask for numbers too: what the Conservative promises cost, how the BC Greens reached $22.2 billion and why one debate is too few.

Read the sources below and decide for yourself. Advance voting runs from October 16 to October 21, and election day is October 24, 2026.