Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, whose wife was NDP legislator, endorses BC Green’s Lowan

VICTORIA — Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, a longtime British Columbia NDP ally whose late wife was a legislator for the party, has endorsed Green Party Leader Emily Lowan, who was set to cast her vote as advanced polling got underway Friday.

Lowan posted the endorsement from the president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs on social media, with Phillip saying he was “totally honoured” to endorse the candidate for Saanich North and the Islands.

Phillip had been a strong supporter of the NDP, with his wife Joan elected as a New Democrat legislator in 2024 before she died this past summer.

He had backed the NDP in 2024, standing alongside Leader David Eby and telling an audience in Victoria that a vote for the Greens was a vote for the B.C. Conservatives.

The provincial election campaign is entering its final weekend before voters head to the polls on Oct. 24.

In his statement posted by Lowan, Phillip said the Green leader’s understanding of the climate crisis as well as her “proactive, principled, evidence-based approach” to finding solutions were key reasons for his endorsement.

“She is a strong and courageous ally for Indigenous Peoples in B.C. and approaches environmental stewardship with full respect for Indigenous rights,” the statement said.

Phillip fell out with Eby over the NDP government’s handling of B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

Eby backed down earlier this year on changing or suspending parts of the legislation in the face of opposition from Stewart and his late wife, among others.

There are points of disagreement and differences with Indigenous leadership, Eby said during an unrelated campaign announcement on Friday.

“But at the end of the day, the only way this province will be successful is working in partnership with First Nations,” he said. “It not just lifts up the whole province, it lifts up First Nations communities that have been living in grinding poverty.”

Eby said he and Lowan share a commitment to working with First Nations and noted the Conservatives have proposed to toss out the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and other economic partnerships.

“Doing so will create unbelievable chaos at a time we need to be building up this province,” he said.

Lowan was slated to cast her vote in Saanichton, B.C., on Friday, while Eby was in Coquitlam and interim Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson was in Port Moody, both in Metro Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.

The Canadian Press