B.C. voters casting ballots in two byelections Saturday

Voters in two British Columbia constituencies previously represented by a former New Democrat premier and an NDP cabinet minister will cast ballots in byelections Saturday.

The votes are being held on southern Vancouver Island in Langford-Juan de Fuca and in the riding of Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.

Both ridings have been vacant since late March following the departures from the legislature of former premier John Horgan and cabinet minister Melanie Mark.

23:35 Focus BC: Lanford-Juan de Fuca byelection candidates

Horgan had held the Langford riding since 2005, while Mark was first elected in 2016.

Prof. Hamish Telford, a political expert at the University of the Fraser Valley, says he expects the NDP to retain the two seats, but the battle for second between the Greens and BC United could be used as a political gauge for both opposition parties.

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Telford says the presence of Conservative candidates in each riding could also measure the political mood in the province ahead of the 2024 general election.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2023.