Eby Sails Through Leadership Review, but NDP Divisions Remain

Despite rumblings of discontent, Premier David Eby received strong support on the weekend as 82 per cent of delegates to the BC NDP convention voted against having a leadership election.

The gathering of more than 800 delegates in Victoria was the first since the party’s narrow election win in 2024.

A theme throughout the convention was repairing the relationship with labour following two-month strikes by the BC General Employees’ Union and the Professional Employees Association, the decision to build vessels for BC Ferries in China and other issues.

“I’ll be blunt: we just came through a really challenging time with the BCGEU,” Eby told reporters after observing that labour has been core to the party for generations.

“It’s important to remind everybody, especially in moments like these, that we’re not going to agree on everything all the time,” he said. “But there are some core bedrock principles that make it different here than the approach in Alberta, for example. It matters that there’s an NDP government here, and in terms of those negotiations and those tense moments, how we move forward.”

There was enough concern about the leadership vote in the last few weeks that Eby supporters were contacting members to encourage a vote in his favour.

Early in his Saturday afternoon speech Eby thanked the government’s “partners in the labour movement.”

“The people who have always stood shoulder to shoulder with us in the fight for fairness, justice and dignity at work.”

He noted other governments had ordered striking unions back to work.

A BC NDP government will never deny the right to organize and strike, he said. “We will always defend your right to get a fair deal, best achieved at the bargaining table.”

Eby was introduced by two of his children, Ezra and Iva. “I do like it when he takes me to school in the police car,” said Iva, who is six. “Sometimes we miss Dada when he’s working. It’s the best when he comes home.”

Speaking Sunday morning, BC Federation of Labour president Sussanne Skidmore, who was re-elected to the party’s executive during the convention, acknowledged “tough debates” but stressed the opportunity for labour and government to work together to make people’s lives better.

“Together we get shit done,” she said.

Skidmore gave the examples of paid sick leave, the removal of the need for a sick note from a doctor and a doubling of spending on trades training announced last week. “If I went through the whole list we’d be here until next convention,” she said.

She encouraged continued support for the NDP instead of backing right-wing politicians like Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre who “cosplay” as supporters of working people.

The first of a few dozen resolutions to be considered during the convention concerned building ferries in the province, a debate organizers hoped would allow some of the angrier members to “blow off steam” before it was passed with a strong majority.

Another debate that exposed divisions involved the appointment of labour representatives to NDP riding associations in each constituency.

Speaking in favour of the motion, which won support, Professional Employees Association executive director Melissa Moroz noted that the government is still negotiating with several unions and asked that the party support reaching fair deals.

“Workers are willing to stand up and fight for their rights, even against a labour-friendly government,” she said to applause.

A labour-endorsed slate won 13 positions on the executive, including former Richmond-Queensborough MLA Aman Singh’s election to party president. Outgoing president Aaron Sumexheltza did not seek another term.

There was relatively little mention of environmental issues, though a small group of protesters gathered on the sidewalk outside the convention centre Saturday.

And during debate on the proposed North Coast Transmission Line, a speaker connected the project with fracking and LNG exports. “Do not blindly follow Premier Eby into a climate catastrophe,” he urged.

At least four of the candidates for the federal NDP leadership were at the convention: Rob Ashton, Heather McPherson, Avi Lewis and Tanille Johnston.

Eby declined to say whom he would prefer to lead the federal party, but he’s encouraging NDP members to look carefully at each candidate’s platform and consider the work ahead to develop resource projects in B.C. and strengthen the national economy.

“Please keep that in mind when you’re looking at these platforms, because not all of the candidates support that vision for our province and our country,” he said. “It is crucial in my opinion for the NDP to be supporting a growing economy that pays for the public services that people depend on and that we do it with NDP values intact.”

Those values include addressing climate change, ensuring Indigenous participation and providing access to skills training as a path to work and out of poverty, he said.

Trevor Halford, the B.C. Conservative MLA for Surrey-White Rock, was at the convention as an observer. “There’s good vibes here, but there’s definitely a disconnect from reality,” he said, citing strains on health care, extortion cases in Surrey and the Cowichan land title court decision and resulting questions about property rights.

“The premier has over-promised and he’s under-delivered,” he said, adding that results matter.

Treasurer Karen Cooling talked about the party’s success adjusting to the donation rules banning contributions from corporations and unions, which the NDP government introduced following the 2017 election.

The party had about $5 million in assets after the 2024 election, she said, when in the past it would have been in debt after an election campaign. The healthy finances meant the party doesn’t have to raise money to pay off its debts and that it can build towards the election scheduled for 2028.

“We can dare to dream of a fourth straight election victory,” said Cooling, who was re-elected as treasurer during the convention.