Judicial recount for Surrey-Guildford confirms B.C. NDP's majority

The parliamentary mace, front, is seen encased in a clear box inside the newly renovated legislative assembly in Victoria, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (Chad Hipolito / The Canadian Press)

The British Columbia New Democrats have a majority government of 47 seats after a recount in the riding of Surrey-Guildford concluded with the party's candidate 22 votes ahead of his provincial Conservative rival.

Confirmation of victory for Premier David Eby’s party comes nearly three weeks after election night when no majority could be declared.

Garry Begg of the NDP had gone into the full hand recount on Thursday with a 27-vote lead, although British Columbia's chief electoral officer had said on Tuesday there were 28 unreported votes and those had reduced the margin to 21.

The recount overseen by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Kevin Loo has ended with Begg at 8,947 votes and the B.C. Conservatives' Honveer Singh Randhawa on 8,925.

A separate partial recount in Prince George-Mackenzie to tally 861 votes from an uncounted ballot box is also complete, confirming B.C. Conservative Kiel Giddens' victory by more than 6,000 votes.

The final recount in Kelowna Centre was the last to be reported, confirming B.C. Conservative Kristina Loewen is elected by just 40 votes over the New Democrats.

The Election Act says the deadline to appeal results after a judicial recount must be filed with the court within two days after they are declared, but Andrew Watson with Elections BC said that due to Remembrance Day on Monday, that period ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

The recount results confirm that the NDP will have 47 seats and the Conservatives 44, while the Greens have two seats in the 93-riding legislature.

Eby has said his new cabinet will be sworn in on Nov. 18.

The expected 44 members of the Opposition caucus and two members from the B.C. Greens to be sworn in Nov. 12, while the New Democrat members of the legislature will be sworn in the next day.

A count of absentee and mail-in ballots completed nine days after the Oct. 19 election gave Eby’s party the barest majority in the 93-seat legislature, pending the recounts.

On the day after that count, Eby said he heard the message from voters in the very tight election and promised to do better "on issues, including public safety and affordability."

He said he recognized that his government needed to work with the Conservatives and the Greens on different initiatives “to make sure we're responding to the message."

While recounts aren't uncommon in B.C. elections, result changes because of them are rare, with only one race overturned in the province in at least the past 20 years.

That was when Independent Vicki Huntington went from trailing by two votes in Delta South to winning by 32 in a 2009 judicial recount.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.