CP NewsAlert: B.C. Conservative leader Doerkson retains riding of Cariboo-Chilcotin

The Canadian Press decision desk is projecting that interim British Columbia Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson has been re-elected in the riding of Cariboo-Chilcotin.

The Interior riding is considered safe territory for the Conservatives, having voted either Conservative or B.C. Liberal since being formed in 2009.

Doerkson has held the seat since 2020, when he won as a B.C. Liberal.

The once-obscure legislator became interim Conservative leader two days before Saturday’s provincial election was called on Sept. 22.

The former newspaper publisher and rodeo rider replaced Kerry-Lynne Findlay, whose tumultuous stint as Conservative leader triggered an exodus of legislators.

But Doerkson swiftly convinced most of them to return to the party’s ranks ahead of the snap election.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2026.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press