Doerkson vows to boost B.C. economy as next premier

Well, good morning and thank you, everyone. In his first press conference as premier-designate of British Columbia, Lorne Dirksen promised change. After nearly a decade of the NDP government, people are paying more and they are getting less. They have asked for something different and we are going to deliver it. A month ago, very few British Columbians knew his name. Oh, God. Saturday, the B.C. Conservatives secured a majority win. Matt, I am out of breath. I am so excited. Together, we seized this opportunity, you guys, and together, we voted for a better British Columbia. His rise to the top was sudden. Dirksen stepped in as interim leader of the B.C. Conservatives on September 20th, two days before NDP Premier David Eby called a snap election. The Conservatives in turmoil after 13 members quit or were fired embattled party leader Carolyn Finley, forced to step down. The snap election seen as Eby's attempt to capitalize on that dysfunction. Sending British Columbians to the polls two years early. That move backfired. The people of British Columbia have asked us to be the official opposition. Which is obviously not the result that any of us wanted. We're going to vote. The BC NDP paid for Eby's gamble. Losing about 20 seats in the legislature. Only 48% of voters cast a ballot. Maybe there's a sort of outside chance that he felt like, well is this going to be better two years from now and maybe the answer was maybe not and so this is our best shot but you know it was a it was a strange decision i think from the vantage points of many and it didn't pay off Dirksen is promising to launch a review of the province's finances on day one of his mandate vowing to supercharge the economy through major projects he also reiterated his government's intent to repeal the declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, also known as DRIPA. I think it's going to be very difficult in terms of a relationship with the premier, especially with the mandates and the platform that they brought forward. Terry Teejee says this government will need First Nations on its side if it wants to move ahead with development projects. Otherwise, they could end up in court, which delays everything. For his part, Dirksen says he looks forward to working closely with BC First Nations. And Donald Trump seemed pleased about Dirksen's win, posting about it on social media. That's right. Dirksen was asked if it suggests that Trump views his government as an ally. His response was, he's an ally of British Columbia and of making life better for people in this province. Caroline Bargut in Vancouver. As Caroline mentioned, even in B.C., Lorne Dirksen was not a household name before this election. Now the province and the country is getting a crash course on a new leader. The recent B.C. Conservative meltdown I'm not going anywhere was a crisis for the party but a surprise opportunity for Lorne Dirksen. Of course it was a little bit of a short notice. He was on his way back from South Africa when the party asked him to take the reins. First elected as MLA for the B.C. Liberals in 2020 Dirksen joined the Conservatives in 2024. Before politics he worked in local newspaper publishing even had a stint as a rodeo rider. I'm a little bashful when it comes to my guitar playing and rodeo career, but I think that's where I do bring some strength. I'm a broad-thinking person. He says he never sought to be party leader or premier. In the space of just five weeks, he's become both.