New poll has Findlay-led Conservatives neck and neck with BC NDP

The Conservative Party of BC has its new leader and it seems to have led to a surge of momentum in the polls.

The latest data from Research Co. shows that both Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s Conservatives and David Eby’s BC NDP have the support of 42% of decided voters in British Columbia.

It reflects a 2% drop for the NDP and a 4% increase for the Conservatives since a similar Research Co. poll, conducted online through a representative provincial sample, was published in October.

The BC Green Party is third with 9% support (-3), while Centre BC and OneBC lag behind with 3% (=) and 2% (+1) support respectively.

“The BC Conservatives are ahead of the governing party among men (46% to 40%), voters aged 35-to-54 (44% to 39%) and voters aged 18-to-34 (40% to 38%),” a briefing from Research Co. explains.

“The BC NDP leads the Official Opposition among women (42% to 39%) and voters aged 55 and over (47% to 42%).”

On a regional basis, the NDP remains the favourite party in Southern BC, Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, while the BC Conservatives have more support in Northern BC and the Fraser Valley.

“This month, the BC NDP is holding on to 84% (-2) of its voters in the 2024 provincial election,” notes Mario Canseco, president of Research Co. “The retention rate is superior for the BC Conservatives (89%, +11).”

One interesting finding from this most recent poll is that almost half of British Columbians (47%) believe the province needs a centre-right party to serve as an alternative to the NDP and Conservatives.

Just over 40% believe it’s time to bring back the BC Liberals as a provincial party, including 58% of British Columbians who voted Liberal in the 2025 federal election.

The survey asked an additional voting intention question based on the hypothetical of the BC Liberals returning to the fold, which found that not much would change at the top.

The NDP and Conservatives would still be neck and neck with 35% and 34% support respectively, while the Liberals would receive votes from 15% of people.