B.C. Conservatives head for a projected majority after pledging $15 million for a Filipino Cultural Centre

The Conservative Party of British Columbia, which promised $15 million toward a permanent Filipino Cultural Centre during the campaign, secured a projected majority in the 24 October provincial election, with Lorne Doerkson expected to become premier once results are confirmed.

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The Conservative Party of British Columbia secured a projected majority in the 24 October provincial election, the Philippine Canadian Inquirer reported, putting a party that pledged $15 million toward a permanent Filipino Cultural Centre on course to form government. Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson is expected to become the province's first Conservative premier since 1933, and the party was leading in 64 of the province's 93 electoral districts during election-night counting.

Doerkson announced the commitment on 7 October, saying a Conservative government would commit $15 million toward the construction of the Filipino Cultural Centre. The party said the provincial money would unlock $15 million in federal matching funds, for a total of $30 million. "We owe Filipino British Columbians so much. They've cared for our patients, kept our businesses running and strengthened every community they call home," Doerkson said.

Daily Hive reported that the BC NDP under David Eby made the same $15 million pledge, so both major parties went into the election committed to the project. The federal government announced in 2025 that it would help fund a Filipino Cultural Centre in B.C. but has not publicly disclosed the amount. Several local Filipino organizations have put forward competing proposals to lead the centre, including one in Burnaby and two in Vancouver, and neither level of government had indicated a preferred proposal or host city.

In the meantime, Daily Hive reported that work was well under way in September to convert a space inside the Library Square atrium in Downtown Vancouver into a temporary Filipino Cultural Centre operated by the Filipino Legacy Society, expected to serve the community until a permanent home is ready. Eby conceded defeat and announced he would step down as BC NDP leader.