VICTORIA — The B.C. New Democrats have won a majority of seats after the final count of votes in the provincial election.
But Elections BC says two of the seats, Kelowna Centre and Surrey-Guildford, are so close there will be automatic judicial recounts before the standings of the next legislature are confirmed.
A majority government requires 47 seats in B.C.'s 93-seat legislature and that's exactly what the NDP and Premier David Eby got, ahead of John Rustad's B.C. Conservatives at 44. The Greens won two seats.
But in Kelowna Centre, the difference between the B.C. Conservatives and the NDP was 38 votes and in Surrey-Guildford, the difference was 27, making the recounts automatic.
Eby said he met with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin earlier Monday and she asked him to form the next government.
"After a close and hard-fought campaign, it's now time to come together to deliver for people," Eby said in a statement. "We will work hard every day to earn the trust you have placed in us."
Eby scheduled a news conference Tuesday at the legislature in Victoria.
It took nine days to reach Monday's result. Elections officials spent the weekend and Monday counting 43,000 mail-in and 22,000 absentee ballots. Election day was Oct. 19.
The NDP win is the first time in B.C. history the New Democrats have won three consecutive elections.
NDP House Leader Ravi Kahlon said he was "glad to see the numbers come in and I'm glad to see we can move forward."
"It's still going to require a lot of co-operation in the legislature," he said in an interview. "We're still going to be reaching out to the Greens to find ways to work with them."
Kahlon said people have been telling him, "we don't want another election, what we want is you guys to work it out."
Kahlon suggested the NDP has plans to find a Speaker from within their ranks despite his party's tight standings.
"We have good people who can do the job," he said.
It was too early to say when the legislature would be recalled, he said, adding one of the first orders of business will be swearing in a new cabinet.
Green Leader Sonia Furstenau said in a statement it appears the parties will have to work together for the legislature to function effectively.
She said earlier the two Green members elected to the legislature could play a pivotal role in the workings of the government.
Messages of congratulations came in late Monday from the B.C. Federation of Labour and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.
"This victory marks an important step toward deeper reconciliation, respect for Indigenous rights, and a shared future built on partnership and commitment to address the climate emergency," Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said in a statement.
Rustad was not immediately available for comment Monday.
Aisha Estey, president of the B.C. Conservative Party, said she spent the weekend in a warehouse watching the counting of mail-in ballots.
In a post on social media, she said: "Elections BC staff have been working tirelessly and doing their best within the confines of the legislation that governs their work."
"Would we have liked mail-ins to be counted closer to (election day)? Sure," she added. "But I saw nothing that caused me concern."
Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press
