(TORONTO, 18 February 2025) – As the new British Columbia legislative session gets underway tomorrow with a new Speech from the Throne, a new Pallas Data poll finds that the NDP led by Premier David Eby has an eight-point lead over the opposition Conservatives.
Among decided and leaning voters, The NDP has 49% (+4% since the general election), while the BC Conservatives, led by John Rustad, have 41% (-2%). With interim leader Jeremy Valeriote at the helm, the Greens are at 8% (no change).
“Premier Eby and the NDP have been in a strong position since the election, as the legislative session begins tomorrow,” said Dr. Joseph Angolano, founder and CEO of Pallas Data. “British Columbians are mostly on board with Eby’s response to the U.S. tariffs and trust him the most on handling the trade issue.”
The NDP has a twenty-two-point lead over the Conservatives in Metro Vancouver and is five points ahead on Vancouver Island.
British Columbians Are Very Concerned About the U.S. Tariffs
The survey also asked respondents if they agreed that the U.S. tariffs posed a massive threat to the British Columbia economy and could put the province into a recession.
The number of respondents who are concerned about the economic impacts of the tariffs outnumbers those who are not concerned by a factor of two to one.
36% strongly agreed, with another 24% saying they somewhat agree (60% in total agree at some level).
By comparison, 16% strongly disagreed, and 13% somewhat disagreed (a total of 29%).
British Columbians Prefer Eby’s Approach To Tariffs
Respondents were asked which response to the tariffs they preferred: either having British Columbia fully cooperate with the Trump administration and address their concerns about drugs and border security or having the province respond with retaliatory tariffs and removing American liquor from store shelves.
BC Conservative leader John Rustad has suggested the first option, while David Eby said the province would do the second the day the tariffs were announced.
The question only had respondents listen to each option and did not attribute either option to Eby or Rustad.
55% said that British Columbia should respond with retaliatory tariffs and remove American liquor from store shelves—and 30% preferred cooperation with the Trump administration.
British Columbians are split on this along partisan lines. 76% of NDP voters favoured retaliatory tariffs, while only 20% of Conservative voters thought retaliatory tariffs were best. Conversely, 65% of Conservatives opted for full cooperation with the United States, while only 7% thought working with the Trump administration was best.
Eby Most Trusted To Respond To Tariffs
Finally, 43% of respondents said they most trust David Eby to respond to the U.S. tariffs. 34% said they trusted John Rustad the most, with 3% saying they trusted Jeremy Valeriote. 15% said that they were not sure.
Methodology:
The analysis in this report is based on results of a survey conducted on February 15th, 2025 among a sample of 677 adults, 18 years of age or older, living in British Columbia and are eligible to vote in provincial elections. The survey was conducted using automated telephone interviews using Interactive Voice Recording technology (IVR).
Respondents were interviewed on landlines and cellular phones. The sample was weighted by age, gender, and region according to the 2021 Census. The survey is intended to represent the adult population in British Columbia.
The margin of error for the poll is +/- 3.8%, at the 95% confidence level. Margins of error are higher in each subsample.
Totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
