Some B.C. legislators qualified for full pension a day before election

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s snap election on Saturday was held a day after a dozen legislators crossed the threshold for a pension, including four NDP MLAs who lost their ridings or did not run.

The clerk’s office at the legislature said the pensions of legislators first elected on Oct. 24, 2020 became vested on Friday, Oct. 23.

Nine NDP MLAs crossed the six-year-threshold the day before Saturday’s election, while premier-designate Lorne Doerkson was among three Conservative legislators who reached the benchmark that day.

Former ministers Brenda Bailey and Kelly Greene did not seek re-election, while Susie Chant and Harwinder Sandhu lost their re-election bids.

The NDP’s Brittny Anderson, Jennifer Whiteside, Niki Sharma, Josie Osborne and Grace Lore were all re-elected, as were Conservatives Bruce Banman, Trevor Halford and Doerkson, and all are now eligible for a pension when they turn 65.

Legislators contribute 11 per cent of their pensionable earnings to their plan, and receive an annual pension based on an accrual rate of 3.5 per cent of their highest three-year average pensionable earnings.

After six years, a legislator would therefore qualify for an annual pension of 21 per cent of those average earnings, while the maximum pension is 70 per cent.

The basic salary for a legislator is about $122,000, while ministers receive a top-up of about $61,000.

Former Conservative leader John Rustad said the timing around the pensions might not have played a role in the thinking of former NDP leader David Eby when he called the election.

“But if he went to his caucus and said, ‘I’m thinking about having an election,’ there probably would have been some people that say, ‘just don’t call it early,'” he added.

The BC NDP caucus did not immediately respond to a question about whether the pension vesting date played any role in the timing of the election.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2026.