British Columbia Premier David Eby will resume ruining BC because not one voter cares to stop him:
In a Sunday election pledge, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby proposed a new tax policy that would give his province one of the highest marginal tax rates on earth.
If implemented, the top marginal tax rate in B.C. would hit 57.5 per cent, meaning that 57.5 cents out of every dollar earned above a certain threshold in B.C. would be collected as tax.
It wouldn’t just make B.C. the highest tax jurisdiction in Canada, but it would place British Columbians in a higher tax bracket than even some of the most notoriously high tax corners of Europe.
According to the most recent figures from the OECD, top-earning British Columbians would be paying a higher tax on income than their well-paid peers in France (55.4 per cent), Japan (55.9 per cent), Sweden (52.4 per cent) and the U.K. (45 per cent).
In fact, they’d likely be paying more of their income in tax than any other jurisdiction save Denmark. Although Denmark’s top rate comes in at 55.9 per cent in OECD data, in practice, the Danish rate can rise as high as 60.5 per cent, according to a June analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
B.C.’s top tax rate would also push well ahead of California, the single most high-tax jurisdiction in the United States. According to the U.S.-based Tax Foundation, Californians pay a top income tax rate of 13.3 per cent. Which, when combined with a federal top rate of 37 per cent, comes to 50.3.
The new tax rate was pitched by Eby on Sunday as a “millionaire’s tax,” as the new top rate of 24.5 per cent or more only applies to annual incomes of $1 million or more.
This would be added to the top federal rate of 33 per cent (which kicks in for incomes higher than $258,482) for a total of 57.5 per cent.
Nevertheless, Eby would also be raising taxes for non-millionaires. Any income above $190,405 would be taxed at 18.8 per cent instead of 16.8 per cent, and any income above $265,545 would be taxed at 22.5 per cent instead of 20.5 per cent.
As such, any British Columbian earning more than $266,000 would already be experiencing a combined rate of income tax (55.5 per cent) higher than almost anywhere else on earth.
In a Monday social media post, University of Calgary economist said the new rates “would raise BC to the highest income tax rate since 1981, and make the province (by a decent margin) the highest tax rate jurisdiction in Canada.”
He noted that the new tax threshold would put B.C. at particular contrast to next-door Alberta, whose top marginal rate sits around 48 per cent.
Wrote Tombe, “the gap with Alberta would be back at 1990s levels.”
Eby said the measure would bring in $1 billion in new revenue, which he pledged to spend on “improvements in health care and to lower costs for British Columbians.”
Although, $1 billion is still just a fraction of the $13.8 billion annual deficit that B.C. was running just before Eby called a snap election on Sept. 22.
Eby said his new tax would not apply to the “96 per cent” of British Columbians making less than $190,405 per year.
Although, as noted by B.C. journalist Bob Mackin, the threshold for the new taxes also just so happens to kick in right above the annual salaries paid to B.C. cabinet ministers, which top out around $183,000 per year.
The B.C. Conservatives, meanwhile, have dubbed the new tax scheme a “doctor’s tax,” as it will kick in right around the annual salaries earned by physicians, which Eby’s government has simultaneously been attempting to attract to B.C.
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However, this election presents a critical opportunity for voters to examine the issues highlighted that same day in The Bureau’s report, “Public Safety documents flag intelligence, military base and supply chain risks in BC Ferries China deal.” That report brings necessary attention to Premier Eby’s handling of foreign interference and its impact on British Columbia’s political process.
Firstly, of major relevance is the 2022 Cullen Commission report focused on networks of transnational organized crime and money laundering, networks linked to foreign interference, including election meddling, according to The Bureau's reporting.
Gordon Hoekstra of The Vancouver Sun reported on December 9, 2024, that Premier Eby had delayed or sidelined two of the most significant structural changes requested by Commissioner Austin Cullen:
An Independent Anti-Money Laundering Commissioner: Recommended to act as an independent legislative “czar” to provide strategic oversight, conduct research, and keep the public informed on B.C.’s anti-money laundering mandate.
A Dedicated Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Unit: Recommended to bypass perceived federal enforcement gaps (such as shortfalls within FINTRAC and the RCMP) by introducing a specialized provincial policing unit focused strictly on illicit financial flows.
The conscious avoidance by Premier Eby of implementing the two major recommendations in the Cullen Report is a breach of his duty to the citizens of B.C. and enables foreign interference to undermine our liberal democracy, impacting government transparency and accountability and the rule of law.
Secondly, Premier Eby’s complete failure to protect British Columbians from foreign interference arose when BC Ferries awarded a contract to China’s Weihai Shipyards (CMI Weihai) to build four new Summit-class hybrid-electric vessels. This contract was backed by a $1 billion low-interest loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB). The deal has triggered intense political backlash, including concerns over lobbying, and has caused parliamentary committee investigations.
The federal government’s Public Safety Records Assessment of the controversial BC Ferries contract with a Chinese state-owned shipyard identified potential risks to Canadian supply chains. The assessment flagged the proximity of ferry routes to sensitive military and intelligence infrastructure — including a Signals Intelligence facility in Haida Gwaii and the country’s main naval base in Victoria.
Rob Shaw reported on August 12, 2025, in Business in Vancouver that Davie Shipyard, the oldest and highest-capacity shipyard in the country, located in Quebec, criticized BC Ferries for a flawed procurement process. The company said the contract was tilted from the start to award new ship construction contracts to the government of China. Davie Shipyard stated BC Ferries never gave Canadian builders a real chance at competing for the billion-dollar contract to build four new large ships.
A 2026 report by the Centre for Future Work estimated that the offshore build will result in roughly $1.5 billion in lost Canadian economic activity (GDP) and 10,000 missed job-years. This lost revenue is profoundly disquieting in light of the September 18, 2026, National Post reporting that in his tenure so far, Premier David Eby has presided over the fastest rate of debt accumulation in the province’s history. Total B.C. debt stood at $89.4 billion on Eby’s first day in office and is now projected to reach $180 billion by 2027.
Critics of BC Ferries’ $1.5 billion contract with CMI Weihai question the involvement of Dominic Barton, former McKinsey & Company global managing director and former Canadian Ambassador to China. Mr. Barton helped develop the CIB, resulting in ongoing debates in parliamentary committees over Barton’s corporate influence networks and McKinsey’s advisory ties to Chinese state-owned enterprises. Prime Minister Mark Carney recently appointed Barton to chair the board of Invest in Canada, which connects multinational corporations to opportunities to grow, expand and succeed in Canada.
Section 2(1)(f) of the B.C. Lobbyists Transparency Act excludes communications between the Government of British Columbia and representatives of international governments such as China.
B.C. voters would like to know who was lobbying whom when BC Ferries awarded a $1.5 billion contract to CMI Weihai, which would support state-owned Chinese shipyards tied to Beijing’s industrial-military framework. Premier Eby’s profound lack of government transparency and accountability over lobbying by China, or its proxies, of BC Ferries raises legitimate questions.
The benefits that authentic liberal democracies confer on their citizens are substantial. These include individual rights, separation of powers, economic opportunity and equality, government transparency and accountability, rule of law and self-critique.
Premier Eby’s wilful blindness to the alleged impact of corrupt foreign interference as detailed in the Cullen Report and the secretive process of awarding a $1.5 billion contract to CMI Weihai has resulted in a dysfunctional democracy in B.C.
