Eby to unveil full NDP platform in Surrey as B.C. Conservatives target ICBC monopoly

With less than two weeks until election day, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby is expected to unveil his party’s full election platform today at a news conference in Surrey, marking a key moment in a campaign that has focused heavily on affordability, housing, and public services.

Surrey - one of the province’s fastest-growing and most diverse cities - has become a central battleground in this fall’s election. Eby’s choice to launch the NDP’s complete platform here underscores the region’s political importance, where housing affordability, infrastructure expansion, and transit remain top voter concerns.

The New Democrats have already outlined several major promises, including a proposed $1,000 annual tax cut for the average family beginning next year and a plan to accelerate construction of factory-built homes to address the housing shortage affecting Surrey and other Metro Vancouver communities.

Meanwhile, B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad says his government would end the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia’s (ICBC) monopoly on basic auto insurance. Rustad argues that opening the market to competition would lower costs and improve service quality. His party has also vowed to scrap ICBC’s no-fault insurance model, calling it unfair to accident victims who wish to pursue damages through the courts.

Rustad is scheduled to hold his own event in Vancouver, while B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau will make an announcement in West Vancouver focused on the cost of living.

As campaign messages sharpen, political observers say Surrey’s suburban ridings - home to thousands of new Canadians and young families - could play a decisive role in determining the province’s next government.