B.C. still waiting final election results

Oct 21, 2024
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

If the NDP wins, however, there will be a new ag minister

British Columbians still don’t know who won the election on Oct. 19.

As of Monday morning, David Eby and the NDP are leading or elected in 46 ridings, while the Conservatives and John Rustad are leading or elected in 45 ridings. The B.C. Greens secured two seats, though party leader Sonia Furstenau lost in Victoria-Beacon Hill.

In B.C., 47 seats are needed to form a majority government.

Multiple ridings are too close to call.

Two ridings – Juan de Fuca-Malahat, and Surrey City Centre for example, will have mandatory recounts because the candidates are separated by fewer than 100 votes.

And that recount is scheduled to take place from Oct. 26 to 28, Elections BC says.

If the NDP wins, there’s at least one certainty to go along with it.

B.C.’s ag community would have a new voice in the legislature in a new Eby cabinet.

That’s because Pam Alexis, the minister of agriculture and food at the time of the writ drop, lost her seat in Abbotsford-Mission.

Reann Gasper won the riding for the Conservatives, capturing 13,254 votes to Alexis’s 10,558, a difference of 2,696.

Other ministers lost their seats too.

Rachna Singh, the minister of education and child care, lost to Mandeep Dhaliwal in Surrey North.
In Langley-Willowbrook, Andrew Mercier, the minister of state for sustainable forestry innovation, lost his seat to Jody Toor.
Dan Coulter, the minister of state for infrastructure and transit, lost in Chilliwack North to Heather Maahs.
And Nathan Cullen, the minister of water, land and resource stewardship, lost to Sharon Hartwell in Bulkley Valley-Stikine.

Provincial election watchers don’t have to wait long to get their next dose of election night drama.

Voters in New Brunswick head to the polls on Oct. 21. And people in Saskatchewan vote on Oct. 28.

Video: Canada's Agriculture Day 2025

Let's celebrate Canadian agriculture.

Well, number one, you don't eat without farmers. Farmers put food on the table. And what could be more important than that?

Well, I think it's important that Canadians understand exactly what takes place, what happens to produce this food, no matter what sector you're talking about.

An awful lot of work goes into that. It's important to understand that meat does not come out of a showcase, and milk does not come out of a bottle. It's produced by farmers and hard work.

Canada has the best farmers in the world. And agriculture is vital to Canada.

In 2024, our agriculture and agri-food sector represented $150 billion of Canada's GDP, nearly $100 billion of our exports, and one in nine jobs.

From grains to fruits to dairy and beef, we are truly blessed with an incredible bounty. Having spent my whole life in agriculture, I see so much potential for the sector.

This time last year, I was proud to open our first-ever agriculture and trade office in the Indo-Pacific, the world’s fastest-growing economy, to cement our presence in the region and grow our exports even more. We've also been making historic investments to help our farmers to boost their yields, protect the planet, and earn a fair living.

The world wants more top-quality, sustainable food, and I know our Canadian farmers can deliver. And it's so important that you do that with pride. We need you.

Quite simply, you eat the most top quality food in the world. You do that because of the quality of farmers and ranchers you have in this country.

Just say thank you to a farmer or a rancher. They work very hard, yes, for a living, but also with a sense of pride in what they produce.

That's what Canada's Agriculture Day is all about.