⁍ British Columbia will hold an election on Oct. 24, making it the largest province in Canada so far to hold a vote during the coronavirus pandemic.

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⁍ Premier John Horgan of the left-leaning New Democratic Party said he wanted to ensure ‘stability’ for the province.

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⁍ Horgan currently has a 69% approval rating, the highest of any premier in Canada.

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– British Columbia will hold an election on Oct. 24, making it the largest province in Canada to hold a vote during the coronavirus pandemic. Premier John Horgan of the left-leaning New Democratic Party said he wanted to ensure “stability” for the province as it responds to challenges presented by the pandemic, reports Reuters. “This pandemic will be with us for a long time and that’s why we need an election now. … I can’t imagine 12 more months of bickering, 12 more months of not knowing whether a bill is going to pass the legislature.” Horgan cited the lack of support from the Green Party on two bills over the summer, as well as a high number of provincial legislators from all parties planning to retire from politics, as reasons to call an election. He added that the province would expand mail-in and advance voting for the election. Canada’s third-most populous province has been credited with largely managing to contain the pandemic in the first few months, although it has seen cases spike in recent weeks along with the rest of Canada. But British Columbia had its finances hit hard by the economic downturn triggered by COVID-19, going from a projected surplus of C$227 million ($171 million) for financial year 2020-21 to a forecasted C$12.8 billion ($9.63 billion) deficit. Horgan hopes to follow the path of Premier Blaine Higgs of the Atlantic province of New Brunswick, whose Progressive Conservative Party government turned its minority mandate into a majority in an election earlier in September.