B.C.'s new government has not taken office yet, but three issues are already in dispute: whether to cut provincial income tax, whether to repeal DRIPA, and the federal decision on the Pacific Link pipeline, which has been taken to court

1. First, the timeline: when the election results count, and when the new government takes office

About the election. The First Nations Leadership Council's statement calls this provincial election a snap election. The timeline from Elections BC is as follows:

The preliminary count results. According to the preliminary results published by Elections BC (as of 10:34 a.m. on October 26): of the 93 electoral districts, the Conservatives were ahead in 63, the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 28 and the Green Party in 2. A majority takes 47, so the Conservatives were ahead in more than half. Preliminary voter turnout was 48.14%.

Why these are "not yet the official results". Elections BC states that the results of the preliminary count are only preliminary and are still being checked; mail-in and absentee ballots are counted only in the final count from November 6 to 10. The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia's website also says that information on new members will be published only after the certified results are received on November 18. In electoral districts where the vote is close, the result could change after the final count. Based on the vote counts in the preliminary results, across the province the leading candidate is ahead by fewer than 400 votes in 8 electoral districts; among them, on Vancouver Island, the NDP is ahead by only 13 votes in Ladysmith-Oceanside, and the Conservatives are ahead by 151 votes in Cowichan Valley (this guide calculated these from the vote counts on Elections BC's results page). The Conservatives are ahead in 4 of these 8 electoral districts; even if all 4 changed hands, the Conservatives would still have 59, which is still more than half.

In very close districts, a court recount may follow. Under B.C.'s Election Act, the official results declared after the final count are final, subject only to a judicial recount or a declaration under Part 8 of the Act (section 137); within 6 days after the official results are declared, a voter in the district, a candidate (or a candidate representative) or the district electoral officer can apply to the Supreme Court of B.C. for a judicial recount (section 139); and if, at the end of the final count, the difference between the candidate declared elected and the runner-up is less than 1/500 of the total ballots considered, or a tie means no candidate can be declared elected, the district electoral officer must apply. Where an application is made, the district electoral officer completes the writ of election according to the certified results of the judicial recount (or of an appeal) only after receiving them (section 146). In the preliminary results, the top two candidates in Ladysmith-Oceanside together had 26,747 votes, so 1/500 is at least 53 votes, and the 13-vote gap is smaller than that; if the gap is still under 1/500 after the final count, an application for a judicial recount must be made for this district (this guide worked this out from the Act and the preliminary vote counts).

When the new government takes office. According to a report by The Canadian Press on November 2, premier-designate Lorne Doerkson held the first caucus meeting of the newly elected Conservative members in Victoria that day, and said members would be sworn in on November 19 and the new cabinet would be announced on November 20. These dates are what he told reporters; as of November 4, this guide has not found an official schedule on the government's or the Legislative Assembly's website, so they are marked "Not decided".

First, a few terms:

• Premier-designate: the person who won the election to become premier but has not yet been sworn in. Until he is sworn in, he is not yet the premier and cannot make decisions in the name of the provincial government.
• Cabinet: the ministers the premier chooses to run the various ministries, such as the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Health. Most of the new government's decisions are made by cabinet.
• Caucus meeting: a closed-door meeting of the elected members of the same political party.

How the provincial government runs before the new government takes office. Until the new premier is sworn in, the existing provincial government remains in place. BC Gov News currently shows this notice: "Due to the post-election period, this site is not being updated except for emerging public health and safety issues or statutory requirements." So during this period you will not see new policies on BC Gov News.

2. The first issue: raising the basic personal amount to $32,000, and about $1,000 less provincial tax per person?

Status: [Not decided] This is a promise the Conservatives made during the campaign. As of November 4, the new government has not taken office, no bill has been introduced, and not a single word of the current tax law has changed.

What the Conservatives said

In a campaign release posted on the party's website on October 8, the Conservatives wrote that they would raise B.C.'s basic personal amount from $13,216 to $32,000, which they said would be the "most generous in Canada"; that "nearly every working British Columbian" would pay $1,000 less in provincial income tax each year, and the "average couple" $2,000 less; and that for a two-income household this works out to $167 more each month. The Conservatives say this is to ease the cost of living.

What the basic personal amount is

Everyone who files a tax return has a basic personal amount. You can think of it like this: the first part of your income is, in effect, not taxed. Strictly speaking, it is a "non-refundable credit": the amount is multiplied by the lowest tax rate, and the result is subtracted from the tax you owe.

B.C. provincial income tax and federal income tax each have their own basic personal amount, calculated separately. What is being discussed here is only B.C.'s amount; the federal amount does not change.

The B.C. government's tax page says the 2026 B.C. basic personal amount is $13,216, and the lowest B.C. tax rate for 2026 is 5.6% (on the part of income up to $50,363).

The most you could save: a rough calculation

The extra amount would be $32,000 − $13,216 = $18,784. Multiplied by the lowest rate of 5.6%, that is about $1,052. This is the most B.C. tax one person could save in a year, assuming the lowest rate is still 5.6% at that time. It matches the Conservatives' "about $1,000". (This guide worked this out from the tax rate published by the provincial government; the Conservatives' web page does not show how it was calculated.)

Who would not save this much

Because it is a "non-refundable" credit, it can only reduce the provincial tax you owe, down to zero at most; it never pays money back to you. So not everyone would save $1,000:

• People who already pay no B.C. tax would save nothing. For example, someone with an income of $20,000 a year: under the 2026 rules, after taking off the current basic personal amount and then the B.C. tax reduction credit (up to $690 in 2026, reduced once net income is over $25,570 and down to zero at $44,952), already pays no B.C. provincial income tax (a rough calculation counting only these two items).
• People who currently pay less than $1,052 in provincial tax can save at most what they pay now.
• By a rough calculation, only people with an income of about $40,000 or more a year, who already pay enough provincial tax, would save the full amount. For example, an employee earning $60,000 a year would pay roughly $1,052 less. Most people with an income between $25,000 and $40,000 would save only part of it.
• Spouses are calculated separately. Only if both people have enough provincial tax to reduce would a household save about $2,000. In a household where one person works and the other already pays no provincial tax, it would be only about one share. B.C. also has a "spouse or common-law partner amount"; the Conservatives' web page does not say whether it would change too, so that depends on the final wording of the law.

Also, to be clear about what it is not:

• It is not a cheque; no money will be deposited into your account;
• It does not change federal income tax;
• It does not change the CPP (Canada Pension Plan) and EI (Employment Insurance) contributions deducted from your pay.

When it would start: no government document to check yet

The Conservatives' campaign web page does not say which year it would start. Changing the basic personal amount would require amending B.C.'s tax law through the Legislative Assembly's law-making process (the end of section 3 explains how a bill is passed), and it would usually also be included in a budget.

One more thing to know: the B.C. government's tax page states that Budget 2026 paused inflation indexing of the basic personal amount for the 2027 to 2030 tax years, and that indexing resumes for 2031. This is already written into section 4.52 of B.C.'s Income Tax Act. In other words, under the current law, the amount will stay at $13,216 from 2027 to 2030, and will be adjusted for inflation again only from 2031, unless the new government changes the law. The tax brackets (the income thresholds for each tax rate) and the tax reduction credit are also not adjusted for inflation from 2027 to 2030. The provincial page's exact wording is that Budget 2026 paused the indexation of "basic personal tax credits"; the spouse or common-law partner amount ($11,317 for 2026) is also listed on that page.

Where the money would come from: this depends on the new government's budget

A tax cut means the provincial government collects less money. The Ministry of Finance's first quarterly report, released on September 14, 2026, forecasts:

• a deficit of about $13.8 billion for the 2026–27 fiscal year (April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027), $450 million more than at the time of the February budget;
• revenue of about $86.3 billion;
• real economic growth of 0.9% in 2026, 1.9% in 2027, and an average of 2.1% a year from 2028 to 2030;
• total provincial debt of about $180.9 billion by the end of the 2026–27 fiscal year.

The Conservatives have their own economic growth assumptions and estimates of what the tax cut would cost in their platform, but the platform is a PDF file; this guide read only web pages and did not check the figures in the original, so they are not included here. How the deficit would be handled after a tax cut, whether by borrowing more, spending less or delaying the tax cut, depends on what the new government's first budget says.

When we will know

Under section 6 of B.C.'s Budget Transparency and Accountability Act: when a general election is not held on the third Saturday in October, as in this case, the budget for the next fiscal year (2027–28) must be presented to the Legislative Assembly no later than the later of two dates: April 30, 2027, or 150 days after the new premier and the new Minister of Finance take office. If the new cabinet does take office on November 20, 150 days later is April 19, 2027, so the latest date is April 30, 2027. The law sets only the latest date; the new government can also present it earlier, or first introduce a separate bill to amend the tax law.

What to do now

• You do not need to do anything. You will file your 2026 taxes in spring 2027 under the current rules.
• You do not need to register or apply. The basic personal amount is calculated under the law when you file your taxes. If someone calls or texts you saying you must "register first and pay a fee first to get the $1,000 tax cut", ignore them, and check for yourself on the provincial government's website. You can report such calls or texts to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: call toll-free 1-888-495-8501, or report online at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca; if you have already lost money, contact your local police as soon as possible. For the hours you can call (converted to B.C. time) and the order in which to report, see section 8 of Guide No. 31, Card fraud and scam transfers.
• If you want to know roughly how much you might save, wait until the wording of the law is out, then calculate it with tax software. If your income is modest and your situation is simple, you can go to one of the CRA's free tax clinics, where volunteers will do your taxes for free.

Related: for how accounts with tax rules, such as the TFSA and RRSP, are used, and the difference between legitimate tax planning, tax avoidance and tax evasion, see Guide No. 15, Saving tax & investing; if you want to file your own taxes for free, for who can use the CRA's SimpleFile and how, see Guide No. 37, Free filing with CRA SimpleFile; for roughly what income qualifies for a free tax clinic and how to find one in Victoria, see section 11 of that guide.

3. The second issue: whether to repeal B.C.'s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA)

Status: DRIPA, the law itself, is [In force]: it received Royal Assent on November 28, 2019, came into force the same day, and is still in force. Repealing it is [Not decided]: the Conservatives say they will repeal it, but as of November 4 there is no bill of any kind.

What this law is

DRIPA's full name is the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act; it is sometimes simply called the Declaration Act. It puts the full text of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), adopted in 2007, in a schedule, and then requires the provincial government to do several things. The text on BC Laws (shown as "current to October 27, 2026") has 10 sections in total; the main ones are:

• Section 3: in consultation and cooperation with the Indigenous peoples in B.C., the provincial government must take all measures necessary to make B.C.'s laws consistent with the UN Declaration.
• Sections 4 and 5: the provincial government must prepare an action plan together with Indigenous peoples, and report on progress to the Legislative Assembly every year.
• Sections 6 and 7: the provincial government may enter into agreements with Indigenous governing bodies. Section 7 is about "decision-making agreements": for a particular statutory decision, the two sides can agree to make the decision jointly, or that the provincial government must first obtain the other side's consent before making the decision.
• Section 1(3): neither this law nor anything done under it weakens the Aboriginal rights recognized in section 35 of Canada's Constitution.

Section 7 agreements are not signed just whenever the government likes

According to the text of section 7:

• the provincial cabinet (in law, the Lieutenant Governor in Council) must first authorize a minister to negotiate;
• within 15 days after the authorization, the minister must publish which local governments and others the minister intends to consult;
• a signed agreement must be published in the B.C. Gazette, and takes effect only once it is published (or on a later date set out in the agreement).

So it covers specific decisions, one agreement and one decision at a time.

The agreements signed so far

The B.C. government's page on making decisions together (updated July 17, 2026) lists these:

There are also a few that have only been authorized for negotiation and not yet signed: in 2023, authorization to negotiate an agreement with the Tahltan Central Government on the Galore Creek copper-gold-silver mine; and in June 2025, an announcement that the government had been authorized to negotiate with the Tŝilhqot’in Nation when needed. The provincial government's page also says that no section 6 agreement has been signed so far.

A real example: the Eskay Creek gold-silver mine

Eskay Creek is near Stewart in northwestern B.C.; it is an old gold-silver mine that is to be restarted, on the traditional territory of the Tahltan Nation.

• In June 2022, the provincial government and the Tahltan Central Government signed B.C.'s first consent-based decision-making agreement, covering the environmental assessment of this mine. The agreement required Tahltan consent before the project could move forward.
• Each side set its own review standards, they designed the assessment process together, and then each made its own decision.
• In January 2026, the board of the Tahltan Central Government formally gave its consent; on January 26, the provincial government issued the environmental assessment certificate with 38 legally binding conditions, some of them developed together with the Tahltan, giving the Tahltan a role in oversight throughout the life of the mine. The certificate requires the mine to be substantially started before 2036.
• On January 27, 2026, the provincial government also issued a Mines Act permit. The provincial government said the project had already received federal approval, and once it received its Environmental Management Act permits, the mine could restart.
• The provincial government's January 2026 news release estimated about 1,000 jobs at the peak of construction and more than 770 jobs at the peak of operations. The Environmental Assessment Office also consulted other Nations, such as the Nisga’a and Gitanyow, and tribes in Alaska; the Nisga’a wrote a letter of support.

This example shows how section 7 works in practice: one project, one agreement, one set of written procedures. As for whether this approach is faster or slower, and whether the law as a whole is good or not, the sides see it differently; their views are set out separately below.

What each side says

The Conservatives (repeal it). A page on repealing DRIPA and advancing economic reconciliation, posted on the Conservatives' campaign website on October 7, quotes Doerkson on September 28: DRIPA has not delivered the security it was supposed to bring British Columbians, and "We are in court everywhere in this province", so it should be repealed; at the same time, he said he is committed to working with First Nations and wants to build projects and partnerships together with First Nations. According to a report by The Canadian Press on November 2, Doerkson said that day that the new government would repeal the law as soon as possible and would keep building relationships with First Nations; he did not say whether the Legislative Assembly would be called to sit in the fall. The Conservatives' campaign web page does not name any specific cases behind the claim that they are "in court everywhere".

The First Nations Leadership Council (keep it). A statement by the First Nations Leadership Council posted on the First Nations Summit website, dated October 26, says the Council is willing to work with the new government to advance reconciliation and uphold Aboriginal title and rights, and that First Nations continue to support DRIPA as a framework for reconciliation. The statement also criticizes the NDP government, saying it failed to explain its plan for implementing the law clearly, which fed misunderstanding and concern.

Before the election, the NDP government also took up this topic, in spring 2026. On April 20, 2026, Premier David Eby and the First Nations Leadership Council issued a joint statement: the provincial government would not introduce legislation in the spring session to pause or amend DRIPA, or the provisions of the Interpretation Act related to the UN Declaration; the two sides would discuss together the legal concerns the provincial government had raised, and aim to find a way forward before the fall session. In other words, whether DRIPA should be changed was already under discussion before the election.

The NDP (ahead in 28 electoral districts in the preliminary count). This guide has not found any formal statement from the NDP since the election on repealing the law.

The Legislative Assembly can change provincial laws, but not the Constitution

Section 35 of Canada's Constitution Act, 1982 states that the existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada are recognized and affirmed. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) explains that when the government is considering doing something that might harm these rights, it has a duty to consult Indigenous peoples first and, where appropriate, to accommodate them (the duty to consult and accommodate); this duty comes from section 35 of the Constitution and has been confirmed in many Supreme Court of Canada decisions. The B.C. government's own page on consulting with First Nations also says that when Aboriginal or treaty rights may be adversely affected by government action, the provincial government has the same duty to consult under section 35 of the Constitution.

So even if B.C. repeals DRIPA in the future, section 35 of the Constitution and the duty to consult remain; these are two different things. Section 1(3) of DRIPA itself also states that it does not weaken section 35 rights.

For ordinary households: as of November 4, DRIPA has not changed; repeal is so far a stated plan of the Conservatives, with no bill, and no law has changed because of this election. You cannot conclude from the stated plan to repeal the law that anything has changed about the title to the home in your name.

What to watch next

To repeal the law, a bill would have to be introduced in the Legislative Assembly. When that happens, the part most worth watching is the transitional provisions: what happens to section 7 agreements that have already been signed? To agreements still being negotiated? Will the action plan and annual reports under DRIPA continue? The Interpretation Act provision mentioned in the April joint statement is section 8.1, and subsection (3) says that every Act and regulation in B.C. must be construed as being consistent with the UN Declaration. Whether a repeal bill would change this provision at the same time is also worth watching. The provincial government's web page says that the Tahltan and Simpcw agreements operate under section 7 of the Environmental Assessment Act; for Eskay Creek, the provincial news release says the agreement was signed under section 7 of both DRIPA and the Environmental Assessment Act. How these agreements would be handled after DRIPA is repealed depends on the wording of the bill, and cannot be said for certain now.

How a bill becomes law (as the Legislative Assembly of B.C. explains it):

1. First reading: the member introducing the bill presents it and its purpose; members vote only on whether to accept it for debate later, and the content is not debated at this step.
2. Second reading: members debate the bill's broad principles and goals, not each section. Passing this vote means agreeing to the principle.
3. Committee of the Whole House: all members can take part; the bill is discussed section by section, and amendments can be proposed.
4. Report stage: the bill is reported back to the House, stating whether it was amended; an amended bill is reprinted for members to read.
5. Third reading: the final vote. If it passes, the Speaker declares the bill passed.
6. Royal Assent: the Lieutenant Governor (the King's representative in B.C.) comes to the Legislative Assembly to formally approve the passed bill, and the bill becomes law.
7. Coming into force: most laws come into force on the day of Royal Assent; some set a separate date for coming into force.

Except in an emergency, these steps are usually done on different days, so that members and the public have time to read the bill and give their views.

4. The third issue: the Pacific Link pipeline, listed by the federal government as a "national interest project" and, according to media reports, challenged in the Federal Court by several First Nations

Status: Its listing by the federal government as a national interest project is [In force] (Order in Council of October 1, 2026). How the pipeline itself will be built, and under what conditions, is [Not decided]; the federal government's goal is to set the conditions before September 1, 2027, and construction has not started. Several First Nations' applications to the Federal Court for judicial review are [Not decided]: according to media reports they have been filed, and the court has not ruled.

First, to be clear: this is a federal decision, not the new provincial government's

This pipeline is a project being advanced by the federal government and Alberta. On October 1, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in Fort McMurray, Alberta, that it was being listed as a "national interest project", more than three weeks before B.C.'s provincial election. So what the new provincial government inherits is the controversy this federal decision has caused in B.C.

What this pipeline is

According to the federal Order in Council of October 1 (number P.C. 2026-0925) and the Prime Minister's Office news release:

• Route: from Bruderheim, Alberta (about 50 km northeast of Edmonton) to a deep-water port near Delta, B.C. (about 35 km south of Vancouver). It takes a southern route, avoiding B.C.'s North Coast; most of the pipeline corridor follows the existing Trans Mountain pipeline. The Major Projects Office's project page (modified October 13, 2026) says the project is in the early stages of development and that "the precise route remains to be determined"; the start point, end point and corridor above are as currently described in the Order in Council and the Prime Minister's Office news release.
• Capacity: about 1 million barrels of crude oil a day, carried to the port and then loaded onto ships for export, mainly to Asia.
• Facilities: about 11 pump stations along the route; a tank terminal and marine loading facilities near Delta, able to take very large crude carriers (ships of this kind usually carry 2 million barrels).
• Tanker route: once loaded, tankers would follow existing international shipping lanes, passing the Delta area, all the way to the western entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, at the edge of Canada's 12-nautical-mile territorial sea. The Strait of Juan de Fuca is the body of water south of Victoria.
• Who is involved: the Prime Minister's Office news release says the federal government and Alberta will jointly own it, half each. The explanatory note to the Order in Council gives more detail: Pembina will hold 10% during construction, with the opportunity for up to an additional 10% once operations begin; the remaining shares will be split equally between the federal Trans Mountain Corporation and the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission; in addition, at least 10% of the shares will be sold to Indigenous communities, financed with federal and Alberta Indigenous loan guarantees. Construction will be led by Trans Mountain Corporation.
• Official name: in the schedule to the federal law it is called the West Coast Oil Pipeline; Pacific Link is a name given later. When you search court or CER records, try both names.
• When it would operate: Alberta's estimates in the explanatory note to the Order in Council are based on operation starting in 2032.

What a "national interest project" means

The federal Building Canada Act allows the federal cabinet to list a project in Schedule 1 of the Act. According to the explanatory note to the Order in Council, once a project is listed:

• the federal government first determines that the project is in the national interest, and the substantive preconditions for the federal permits listed in Schedule 2 are deemed to be met. But the permits themselves have not been issued yet; that waits for the conditions document described below;
• federal permits that would otherwise have to be obtained separately from several departments (for example, under the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, the Fisheries Act and the Species at Risk Act) are combined into one conditions document and issued together;
• according to the Prime Minister's Office news release, over the next year the federal Major Projects Office, supported by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER), will carry out a review, including consultation with Indigenous peoples and public hearings led by the CER on technical, environmental, social, cultural, health and safety matters, and on possible impacts on Indigenous rights.

The federal government's reasons. The Prime Minister's Office news release says the pipeline would let Canada export an additional 1 million barrels of oil a day to Asia, reducing dependence on the United States; it would mean 140,000 jobs across the country and bring governments $100 billion in revenue by 2060. That is how the Prime Minister's Office news release puts it; according to the explanatory note to the Order in Council, the figure of 140,000 jobs comes from modelling by RBC Capital Markets for the project proponent, and refers to the number at the peak of construction.

How the federal government consulted Indigenous peoples

According to the explanatory note to the Order in Council:

• from July 3 to September 18, 2026, the Major Projects Office consulted more than 130 Indigenous communities that could be affected;
• it held more than 140 meetings, attended by more than 110 Indigenous communities and organizations, and received more than 100 written submissions;
• as of September 25, 95 communities had used the participation funding provided by the federal government;
• the deadline for written submissions was originally August 26; because many communities said that summer is the traditional harvesting season, with cultural gatherings, community events and other consultations to deal with, and some communities were also affected by the 2026 wildfires, it was extended to September 18.

What Indigenous communities raised. The explanatory note to the Order in Council says many communities said that, at this stage, there was not enough project information for them to judge whether to support the listing; the concerns raised included the impact of the marine loading facilities and more tankers on fish, fish habitat, southern resident killer whales (an endangered population of killer whales) and other marine life in the Salish Sea (the waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland). The federal cabinet itself also stated that "the majority of Indigenous communities consulted were not prepared to support Project listing based on the information available", and acknowledged that the consultation fell during the summer and the wildfires. The federal cabinet's response was that this new approach is meant to consult at an early stage of a project, while the information is still incomplete; waiting longer would not produce more information, and delaying the decision would not be in the public interest. The federal cabinet concluded that it had fulfilled its duty to consult at this stage.

Who has gone to court (media reports only)

The following comes from a report by The Canadian Press on November 2; this guide has not found an official court record (the Federal Court's file search is a script-based web search, and this guide did not find any file numbers):

• The Tsartlip First Nation (W̱JOȽEȽP), on the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island, applied to the Federal Court for judicial review on October 30 (the report says "last Friday"), asking the court to confirm that the federal government must "meaningfully consult" with them before deciding whether the pipeline is in the national interest. Spokesperson Adam Olsen said the consultation and decision were completed in less than three months, during the summer.
• The St’át’imc Chiefs Council, which represents 11 communities along the Lillooet River and the Fraser River, says it has filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court. Their concern is that an oil spill where the pipeline crosses rivers would threaten their fishing rights and way of life; the St’át’imc people depend on Fraser River salmon. According to the report, their statement says the pipeline would cross rivers at more than 500 places, including two new crossings of the Fraser River.
• The report also says the Boston Bar, Cheam, Lower Nicola, Kwantlen and Kwikwetlem First Nations and the Skeetchestn Indian Band have each filed challenges, and the St’át’imc Nation and the T’Sou-ke First Nation (around Sooke) have filed a joint application. The report says there are nine Nations and eight applications in all. The report does not make clear whether the lawsuit the St’át’imc Chiefs Council speaks of is the same one as the joint application by the St’át’imc Nation and the T’Sou-ke First Nation.
• The Cold Lake First Nations in Alberta also applied to the Federal Court for judicial review in early October (according to a report by The Canadian Press on October 8).

What judicial review is. Judicial review means asking a court to review a government decision, to see whether the process was lawful and whether the reasons hold up. Filing an application does not mean the court agrees; generally, a project also does not stop automatically just because an application has been filed. What the court will review is the federal decision to put the project on the list, and whether the consultation before the listing was enough.

What the new provincial government can do

The permits an interprovincial oil pipeline needs are mainly federal (see the federal laws listed in the Order in Council above). The Prime Minister's Office says it consulted the B.C. government before the listing. How the new provincial government will take part, and whether any other provincial permits are needed, cannot be checked in any public document at this time. This guide did not find any original statement of the premier-designate's specific position on this pipeline, either on the Conservatives' web pages or on government web pages, so it is not included. Whatever the provincial government says, it cannot take the place of a Federal Court ruling, or of the federal government's own duty to consult the Indigenous communities along the route (for where this duty comes from, see section 3).

How ordinary people can take part

The Prime Minister's Office says the review over the next year will include public hearings led by the CER ([Announced, not yet in force]: the hearings have been announced, but the dates and how to sign up have not been published). According to the CER, there are two ways to take part in a hearing: one is to write a letter of comment; the other is to become an intervenor, who can file evidence and ask others questions, which takes much more work. You may be able to apply for participant funding; CER staff called process advisors support participants throughout the hearing process. Each hearing comes with detailed instructions in its hearing order, including how to apply to participate. What you submit will be public, for anyone to see. If you have questions, you can email info@cer-rec.gc.ca or call the CER toll-free at 1-800-899-1265. As of November 4, this guide has not found when the Pacific Link hearings will start or how to sign up; that will have to wait until the CER or the Major Projects Office announces it.

5. What these three issues mean for you, and when there will be news

What do ordinary people living in Victoria need to do now? Most people do not need to do anything for now:

• Taxes: file your 2026 taxes under the current rules; the tax cut is still only a promise.
• Your home: DRIPA has not changed, the election did not change any law, and the title to the home in your name will not change just because someone has said "the law will be repealed".
• The pipeline: it is still at the review stage, and tankers have not started running. If you care about the ocean and fisheries, you can watch for the CER's public hearings later.

6. If you want to share your views: whom to contact and how to start

First, work out whom to contact:

• Provincial tax, DRIPA: these are provincial matters; contact the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for your electoral district.
• The Pacific Link pipeline: this is a federal decision; contact the Member of Parliament (MP) for your federal riding, or give your views when the CER holds its public hearings.

How to find your electoral district and your representatives:

1. Provincial electoral district: go to Elections BC's find your district page and enter your address.
2. MLA: the Legislative Assembly of B.C. members page; the website menu has a "Find MLA by Constituency" link (called "Find My MLA" on mobile). According to the Legislative Assembly's website, information on new members will be posted only after the certified results are received on November 18, so check again around November 18.
3. Federal MP: on the House of Commons website, enter your postal code to find your MP and their contact information.

When you write or call, you could start like this:

• "Hello, my name is (full name). I live at (full address and postal code) and I'm a constituent in your riding. I'd like to share my view on (the basic personal amount / DRIPA / the Pacific Link pipeline): … Thank you for considering it."

Write your full name and complete address clearly, so that the member's office can confirm that you live in their riding. You can write whether you support or oppose.

Other places you can ask:

• If you have questions about DRIPA itself: the contact information listed on the B.C. government's making decisions together page is declaration@gov.bc.ca and 1-800-880-1022;
• About the Pacific Link review: the general email address on the federal Major Projects Office's "Contact us" page is info@mpo-bgp.gc.ca (the page says project proponents, Indigenous governments or organizations, and provincial and territorial partners are welcome to contact it with questions, ideas and feedback); for questions about CER hearings, email info@cer-rec.gc.ca or call the CER toll-free at 1-800-899-1265.

Related: for how to call federal government lines such as the CRA, IRCC and Employment Insurance (EI), what to have ready before you call, and what to do if you cannot get through, see Guide No. 7, Phone directory.

Where to find the latest news:

• Election results: Elections BC's results page;
• Announcements by the new government: BC Gov News (expected to resume updates after the new cabinet takes office; the web page does not say which day);
• What bills have been introduced in the Legislative Assembly: the Legislative Assembly of B.C. bills and legislation page;
• Whether the text of DRIPA has changed: the DRIPA page on BC Laws (the top of the page says the date it is "current to");
• Pacific Link: Prime Minister's Office news, the federal Major Projects Office and the Canada Energy Regulator;
• Court progress: the Federal Court file search, where you can search by party name (for example, Tsartlip).

Related guides

• → No. 15 · Saving tax & investing
  What the TFSA, RRSP, FHSA, RESP and RDSP, five kinds of accounts with tax rules, are and how to set priorities among them; how legitimate tax planning differs from tax avoidance and tax evasion; and what to ask when someone presents a financial product to you, and how to check their credentials.
• → No. 37 · Free filing with CRA SimpleFile
  Who can use the CRA's free SimpleFile service, and how to file by phone, online or on paper; if you cannot use it, roughly what income qualifies for a free tax clinic and how to find one in Victoria (section 11).
• → No. 31 · Card fraud and scam transfers
  If your credit or debit card was used fraudulently, or you were tricked into sending money: whether you can get your money back; how to report it to the police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (section 8), including its phone hours converted to B.C. time; and how to complain if the bank will not pay (section 11).
• → No. 7 · Phone directory
  How to call federal government lines such as the CRA, Employment Insurance (EI), IRCC, the dental care plan and 1-800-O-Canada, what to have ready before you call, and what to do if you cannot get through.
• → No. 74 · Why are so many people homeless on Canada's streets?
  As of November 5, 2026, how many people experiencing homelessness were counted in Canada and in Greater Victoria, and the most commonly cited reasons; the most you can get each month on income assistance (the new government has not taken office yet, so watch for any change the province announces; section 3); and who to contact in Victoria for help or to help.

Main official links in this guide

All the web addresses used in this guide are listed here, in five groups by organization; the end of each section also lists the ones for that section. The pages of Elections BC, the Legislative Assembly of B.C., the Government of B.C. (including BC Gov News), BC Laws, the Prime Minister's Office, the federal Orders in Council, the Canada Energy Regulator, the federal Major Projects Office, the federal Justice Laws website, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the CRA were all opened and read on November 4, 2026; the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre's online reporting system is listed as linked from its reporting page; for the search pages (Elections BC's find your district, the Legislative Assembly's bills and legislation, the House of Commons members search and the Federal Court file search), we only confirmed that they open, and this guide did not find any Federal Court file numbers; the B.C. quarterly reports page is listed only as a starting point and was not read separately. The last group is web pages of a political party, a First Nations organization and The Canadian Press (a news agency); these are not government sources and are used only to show what each side has said. The Conservatives' platform is a PDF; this guide did not read it, and none of the figures in it are included.

Elections and the Legislative Assembly

Government of B.C.

B.C. laws

Federal

Non-government sources (used only to show what each side has said; not government decisions)