Eby says he will call early election in B.C. if northern power line bill fails

VICTORIA. B.C. — British Columbia Premier David Eby says he will stake his government on the passage of the bill to fast-track construction of the North Coast Transmission Line to power future resource projects in northwestern B.C.

Eby says the last thing he wants is an early election, but his government “will be prepared if it is necessary” to go to the polls should Bill 31 fail to get through the legislature.

Eby’s NDP holds a one-seat majority in the legislature, and without the support of two Green MLAs, Eby says there’s “a very narrow margin” to pass the bill, whose passage he calls “non-negotiable.”

A Conservative motion to delay the bill by six months failed on Tuesday, October 28th, 48 to 40.

Eby says the multibillion-dollar North Coast Transmission Line is of “crucial importance” to British Columbians, because it will create 10,000 new jobs.

He says any attempt to delay or prevent the bill “is a direct threat to the economic prosperity” of the province, which B.C. cannot afford.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on October 29th, 2025.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press