Valhalla Range, West Kootenay · Photo: Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0
EDITORIAL · THE BC NDP · COMMENTS OFF
The BC NDP say they’re listening and want your vote. But they don’t want to allow your voice if it disagrees, especially on social media.
24 of the 64 BC NDP candidates whose campaign posts we could read restricted who can reply to them, ten of them ministers in David Eby’s cabinet. Among Conservatives we found 6, and among Greens 2. The party’s own pages say its candidates make sure people’s voices are heard. In our view, the BC NDP is silencing the public.
What they say: the BC NDP sells its candidates as people who listen
The BC NDP’s own web pages for its candidates make the pitch. Terry Yung, the Minister of State for Community Safety, is the man who worked with residents “to make sure their voices were heard.” Jinny Sims, the party’s candidate in Surrey-Panorama, is the former talk-show host who “has given voice to people in the community.”36
Read 17 October 2026 · open the page
He also worked closely with residents, businesses and organizations across Vancouver-Yaletown to make sure their voices were heard.
Read 17 October 2026 · open the page
And as a prominent radio talk show host, she has given voice to people in the community to speak about the issues that matter to them.
Its candidates say the same thing in their own posts. They talk about conversations on the street, about listening to communities, about answering questions, and they ask you to make your voice heard.35
8 of his Surrey candidates have missed an opportunity to answer questions from local businesses. We were there to discuss real plans to improve transit, lower costs and give Surrey more control over its future. People deserve candidates who show up and answer questions. (2/2)
17 October 2026 · open the post
I voted! There’s something special about getting to cast your own ballot after spending so many weeks talking with our neighbours across Vancouver–Langara. Advance voting is open now. I hope you’ll get out and make your voice heard too!
17 October 2026 · open the post
Great conversations on Davie and Thurlow! I hope you’re enjoying the sun as much as we are.
3 October 2026 · open the post
Earlier this week, the BC NDP shared new steps to protect the natural spaces that shape our lives in British Columbia. As someone who spends a lot of time listening to communities, walking local trails…
16 October 2026 · open the post
Then they switched off the reply box.
On their own campaign posts, the same four candidates restricted who could answer them:
On Facebook:
14 of 21 campaign posts
16 of 52 across all platforms
Only people who follow this Page for more than 24 hours can comment.
On Instagram:
25 of 29 campaign posts
25 of 65 across all platforms
Comments on this post have been limited.
On X:
31 of 31 campaign posts
36 of 86 across all platforms
Only some accounts can reply.
On Facebook:
11 of 80 campaign posts
11 of 82 across all platforms
Only people who follow this Page for more than 24 hours can comment.
They are not alone. Of the 64 BC NDP candidates whose campaign posts we could read, 24 restricted who could comment, and ten of them sit in Premier 
The 24 BC NDP candidates who restricted comments, ministers first, with how many of their campaign posts we read were restricted
31 of 31 posts limited replies5 of 40 posts restricted
26 of 32 posts restricted2 of 22 posts restricted
18 of 22 posts restricted2 of 17 posts limited replies
14 of 21 posts restricted2 of 22 posts restricted
11 of 11 posts restricted5 of 5 posts limited replies
15 of 20 posts restricted
12 of 27 posts restricted2 of 19 posts limited replies
10 of 21 posts restricted2 of 26 posts restricted
11 of 80 posts restricted
5 of 65 posts restricted1 of 14 posts restricted
27 of 27 posts limited replies9 of 19 posts restricted
35 of 41 posts restricted
32 of 35 posts restricted
25 of 29 posts restricted
19 of 23 posts restricted
15 of 21 posts restricted
9 of 79 posts restricted
6 of 25 posts restricted
6 of 31 posts restricted
3 of 23 posts restricted
2 of 35 posts restricted
1 of 28 posts restricted
1 of 34 posts restricted
1 of 19 posts restricted
Facebook, Instagram and X posts dated 22 September to 17 October 2026, read on 17 October. Each face links to that candidate’s posts. Photos: BC NDP.
Among the 53 Conservative candidates whose campaign posts we could read, we found six: 
01 The BC NDP’s candidates ask for your vote, then decide who is allowed to answer them
Every platform gives an account owner a switch for the comment box. On Instagram it can limit comments. On Facebook it can name the people allowed to comment, or shut out anyone who has not followed the page for more than 24 hours. Twenty-four BC NDP candidates used one of these switches on the posts in which they campaign. We counted a post only when the platform itself showed the notice; a post with no comment box and no notice was left out.7
Only people who follow this Page for more than 24 hours can comment.
19 candidates · 135 posts
Comments on this post have been limited.
5 candidates · 68 posts
X
Only some accounts can reply.
3 candidates · 38 posts
The three most common notices on BC NDP candidates’ campaign posts, 22 September to 17 October 2026. Facebook also names the page owner on some posts (“<Name> limited who can comment on this post.”), and Instagram can turn comments off altogether.
02 Ranked by how many of their campaign posts were closed to some or all of the public
This is not a fringe of first-time candidates. Of the 39 sitting BC NDP MLAs running again whose posts we could read, 15 restricted comments; among the party’s other candidates it was 9 of 25. The chart ranks the 24 who restricted comments by how many of their campaign posts we read were restricted. The candidates who left every post open are listed under it.56479
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Open on every campaign post we read: 40 BC NDP candidates
No campaign posts we could read: 28 BC NDP candidates
- Jules Côté Abbotsford West
- Miriam Rycroft Kelowna-Mission
03 The other parties mostly did not: 24 of 64 BC NDP candidates we read, against 6 of 53 Conservatives
If restricting comments were simply how campaigns run now, the other parties would do it too. We read them the same way, and they mostly did not. Among the BC NDP candidates whose posts we could read it was 38%. Among Conservatives it was 11%: six of 53, on 6 of the 2834 Conservative campaign posts we read.734
Candidates who restricted comments or replies on Facebook, Instagram or X, of those whose campaign posts we could read
How we counted. We read the BC NDP, Conservative and Green accounts the same way: every Facebook, Instagram and X post back to 1 June 2026 where we could, read while signed in as the Backcountry Coalition Page. A post counts as restricted only when the platform shows its own notice. Posts where we could not comment but no notice appeared were treated as unreadable, for every party. Some long feeds stopped loading at about 80 to 93 posts. Almost all still reached back past 22 September, but these did not, so a few of their earliest campaign posts are missing. BC NDP: Brittny Anderson’s Facebook (back to 8 October); David Eby’s Instagram (back to 24 September); Harwinder Sandhu’s Facebook (back to 24 September). Conservative: Lorne Doerkson’s Instagram (back to 26 September); Lorne Doerkson’s X (back to 27 September); Pete Davis’s Facebook (back to 1 October). Green: Annelise Beach’s Facebook (back to 4 October); Benjamin Olsson’s Facebook (back to 29 September); Carolyn Howe’s Facebook (back to 28 September); Christopher Moon’s Facebook (back to 4 October); Connie Larochelle’s Facebook (back to 3 October); Daniel Kite’s Facebook (back to 29 September); Nick Gottlieb’s Facebook (back to 25 September); Rajinder S. Sahota’s Instagram (back to 28 September); Rana Nelson’s Facebook (back to 5 October); Shila Taheri’s Facebook (back to 27 September); Valerie Morrison’s Facebook (back to 6 October). Where our first pass recorded a restriction notice on a post the full read did not reach, we kept it (Ward Stamer, Jagrup Brar, Jessie Sunner).734
The Conservatives were 
Every number on this page, and every account and post we read, is in the panel below. Filter it by party, platform or candidate.
Every candidate and every post we read
We read 7,223 campaign posts on the accounts of 160 candidates: 64 BC NDP, 53 Conservative and 43 Green.
Ranking
Every candidate whose Facebook, Instagram or X campaign posts we could read (22 September to 17 October 2026), ranked by how many were restricted.
Party vs. party
Candidates whose campaign posts we could read, and how many restricted comments or replies, by party.
By post age
Every BC NDP post read in full back to 1 June, by its age on 17 October. We see each post’s setting today, not when it changed.
Every post
Every post we read, with the platform’s own notice where there was one.
04 Ten of Eby’s ministers restricted comments on their own campaign posts
The evidence starts at the cabinet table. Each card is a post as the platform showed it, with the notice that closed the comment box. Facebook’s most common setting here shuts out anyone who has not followed the page for more than 24 hours: a voter who finds a minister’s post today cannot answer it today.7
13 October 2026, 11:35 a.m. · open the post
Today, I joined Amanda Burrows to announce plans for stable funding for the Ashtrey Recovery Resource Centre and a new daytime support centre in the Downtown Eastside. As a former VPD officer who walked the beat in the DTES, I know that public safety requires more than policing.
Only some accounts can reply.
11 of 11 campaign posts on Instagram restricted · 5 of 5 campaign posts on X restricted · see every post in the data panel
15 of 20 campaign posts on Instagram restricted · see every post in the data panel
2 of 22 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · 26 of 32 campaign posts on Instagram restricted · see every post in the data panel
14 October 2026, 8:04 p.m. · open the post
When pressed for any details Lorne Doerkson either couldn’t answer or wouldn’t answer. Was on the defensive most of the night.
Only some accounts can reply.
5 of 40 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · 31 of 31 campaign posts on X restricted · see every post in the data panel
14 of 21 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · 2 of 22 campaign posts on Instagram restricted · see every post in the data panel
18 of 22 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · 2 of 17 campaign posts on X restricted · see every post in the data panel
10 of 21 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · 2 of 26 campaign posts on Instagram restricted · see every post in the data panel
11 October 2026, 9:14 p.m. · open the post
We are planning to introduce a $500 million Small Business Tariff & Wildfire Relief Fund offering interest-free loans of up to $1 million & expanded export diversification programs to protect local jobs & get made-in-B.C. products to markets outside of the United States. @bcndp
Replies limited to verified accounts (X post setting)
12 of 27 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · 2 of 19 campaign posts on X restricted · see every post in the data panel
11 of 80 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
5 of 65 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · 1 of 14 campaign posts on Instagram restricted · see every post in the data panel
05 Five more sitting BC NDP MLAs did the same
The pattern runs past the cabinet to the government’s other MLAs, including its parliamentary secretaries.
35 of 41 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
15 of 21 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
25 of 29 campaign posts on Instagram restricted · see every post in the data panel
9 of 79 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
6 of 31 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
06 Nine BC NDP candidates who want a seat already campaign this way
The habit is not limited to people who already hold office.
9 of 19 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · 27 of 27 campaign posts on X restricted · see every post in the data panel
19 of 23 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
32 of 35 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
6 of 25 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
3 of 23 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
2 of 35 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
1 of 28 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
1 of 34 campaign posts on Facebook restricted · see every post in the data panel
1 of 19 campaign posts on Instagram restricted · see every post in the data panel
07 On X, five of the BC NDP candidates we read restricted replies. None of the 45 Conservative X accounts we read did
X was not the core of our read, but the contrast holds there too. Across the 45 Conservative candidates’ X accounts with campaign posts we could read, 1026 posts in all, not one restricted replies.734
08 We read every post back to 1 June. Some candidates restrict almost everything, whatever its age
The question we wanted to test was whether campaigns keep comments open while a post is new, when replies push it up the platforms’ feeds, and close them once it has done its work. In our view that is how an engagement-driven feed rewards a campaign. To test it we read every post on the BC NDP candidates’ accounts back to 1 June, 6,740 posts in all, and grouped them by age.7
BC NDP posts read in full back to 1 June, by how old each post was on 17 October, and the share with comments or replies restricted
Across the slate the answer is no: newer posts were restricted slightly more often, not less (13% of 1,378 posts up to a week old, against 7% of 1,303 posts more than 90 days old). The pattern fits only a few accounts. On 
For others age makes no difference, because almost nothing is open. Since 1 June: Grace Lore on Instagram, 74 of 80 posts; Spencer Chandra Herbert on X, 71 of 74 posts; Terry Yung on Instagram, 31 of 31 posts; Terry Yung on X, 19 of 19 posts; Jodie Wickens on Instagram, 51 of 69 posts. We can see only each post’s setting today, not when it changed.7
09 The party sets the tone: comments are turned off on all 30 BC NDP campaign videos we read
The candidates are following their party. We opened every upload on the party’s channel, @BCNDP, dated 23 September to 17 October, logged out, the way any voter would see it. Each one carries YouTube’s own message under the video: “Comments are turned off.” They include Premier David Eby’s live stream from Victoria, his closing statement from the leaders’ debate and ten videos that name Lorne Doerkson, the BC Conservative leader, in the title.1
15 October 2026 · open the video
David Eby's closing statement: "I haven't been perfect."
Comments are turned off.
Read logged out, as any voter sees it.1
The Conservative Party of BC left comments open on all 23 campaign videos we read on its channel, and the BC Greens on all 21. The BC NDP’s own channel allowed comments in the October 2020 campaign: its platform launch of 6 October 2020 shows 14 of them. By 20 February 2025 both uploads from that day carried “Comments are turned off.”23
6 October 2020 · open the video
John Horgan launches BC NDP platform
Comments are open: anyone signed in can comment.
Read logged out, as any voter sees it.3
10 In our view, the BC NDP is silencing the public in the week it asks for your vote
The comment box is where a voter can say, in public and in front of everyone else reading, that a promise was broken or a question was dodged. A limited box keeps the message and removes the answer. Twenty-four of the BC NDP’s candidates, ten of them ministers, restricted it on the posts in which they ask for your vote. Among the Conservatives we read, one candidate did.734
None of this breaks a rule. The platforms offer these settings to everyone. It is a choice, and in our view it is the wrong one for people who are paid by the public and asking the public to keep them in office.
Questions for David Eby, Premier and leader of the BC NDP
- Will you ask your ministers and candidates to let every voter comment on their campaign posts before 24 October?
- Will the party turn comments back on for its campaign videos?
- Who decided to turn them off, and when?
Questions for the BC NDP candidates named here
- Will you open comments to everyone on the posts in which you ask for votes?
- Whose answers were you keeping off your posts, and why?
- Will you answer the voters in your riding in public before they vote?
You can still answer. Ask your BC NDP candidate, in public and before 24 October, to open the comment box on every post that asks for your vote.
Josie Osborne wants your vote on 24 October. Unless you followed her a day early, you cannot answer her.
Share this story
Seven images to share, one point on each.
Suggested caption
24 of the 64 BC NDP candidates whose campaign posts we read restricted who can reply to you, and ten of them are David Eby's ministers.
The BC NDP say they're listening and want your vote. But they don't want to allow your voice if it disagrees, especially on social media.
Among Conservatives we found 6 of 53, and among Greens 2 of 43. The BC NDP also turned comments off on all 30 campaign videos we read on YouTube.
Every candidate, ranked, with every post we read, is in the story.
In our view, the BC NDP is silencing the public. Ask your BC NDP candidate to let you answer before you vote.
backcountry.cx/editorials/ndp-silencing-voters-online/
#BCpoli #BCElection #BCNDP
Sources
- ↩ BC NDP YouTube channel, @BCNDP (“BC’s New Democrats”): the public watch pages of the 30 uploads dated 23 September to 17 October 2026 on the channel’s first Videos, Shorts and Live pages, read logged out on 17 October 2026. Each carries YouTube’s message “Comments are turned off.” in its comment section. Their view counts at the read total 29,862. Further pages of the Shorts tab were not fetched. Saved pages, hashes and renders on file. Live from Victoria · closing statement · “Secret Deal” ad · advance voting · youtube.com/@BCNDP
- ↩ Conservative Party of BC, @ConservativePartyBC, and BC Greens, @BCGreens, YouTube channels: comments open on all 23 Conservative and all 21 Green campaign uploads we read, logged out, on 16 and 17 October 2026. Two of each were re-read and rendered on 17 October 2026 and were still open. Conservative, 14 Oct · Green, 9 Oct
- ↩ BC NDP YouTube channel, earlier uploads, read logged out on 17 October 2026: three uploads of 6 October 2020, including “John Horgan launches BC NDP platform” (“Comments 14”), all with comments open; two uploads of 20 February 2025, “Rustad’s Record” and “Action To Help You”, both “Comments are turned off.” 2020 launch · Feb 2025 · Feb 2025
- ↩ Elections BC, 2026 Provincial General Election candidates (CSV), read 16 October 2026: 92 BC NDP candidates (none in Peace River North), with the ridings named on this page. elections.bc.ca (CSV)
- ↩ Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, members of the 43rd Parliament (the Assembly’s member data behind leg.bc.ca), read 16 October 2026: 41 sitting BC NDP MLAs are the party’s 2026 candidate in the riding they hold. leg.bc.ca
- ↩ Province of British Columbia, Cabinet ministers and parliamentary secretaries, read 17 October 2026, for every office named on this page. gov.bc.ca
- ↩ Our read of the BC NDP slate’s accounts, 16 and 17 October 2026: the Facebook, Instagram and X accounts of 64 of the 92 candidates, read while signed in as the Backcountry Coalition Page. Every post back to 1 June 2026 was read where the account allowed it; campaign posts are those dated 22 September to 17 October. A post counts as restricted only when the platform’s own notice was recorded. Screenshots and post data on file.
- ↩ Elections BC, 2017 Provincial General Election, Statement of Votes: Jinny Sims, NDP, elected in Surrey-Panorama with 12,227 votes. elections.bc.ca (PDF)
- ↩ Candidate photos: BC NDP candidate pages, bcndp.ca (Photo: BC NDP). Video thumbnails: as published on each YouTube video.
- ↩ Brittny Anderson: 11 of the 82 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook BrittnyAndersonMLA
- ↩ Christine Boyle: 12 of the 50 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook ChristineBoyleVancouver · Instagram christineeboyle
- ↩ Debra Toporowski: 15 of the 21 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook Councillor.Toporowski.North.Cowichan
- ↩ Frankie Abel: 2 of the 35 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook page
- ↩ Grace Lore: 28 of the 58 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook GraceInVic · Instagram graceinvic
- ↩ Harwinder Sandhu: 9 of the 104 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook harwindersandhu4vernon
- ↩ Hudson Campbell: 6 of the 50 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook hudson.campbell.mr
- ↩ Jagrup Brar: 14 of the 74 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook JagrupBrarBC · X JagrupBrar1
- ↩ Janet Routledge: 6 of the 45 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook JanetBurnaby
- ↩ Jessie Sunner: 16 of the 52 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook Jessie-Sunner-61562873500306 · Instagram jessieksunner
- ↩ Jinny Sims: 32 of the 114 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook jinnysims
- ↩ Jodie Wickens: 15 of the 21 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel.
- ↩ Josie Osborne: 20 of the 71 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook josie.osborne.mpr · X Josie_Osborne
- ↩ Kelli Paddon: 1 of the 28 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook PaddonChilliwack
- ↩ Sarah Zimmerman: 3 of the 42 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook SarahZimmermanSkeena
- ↩ Sheila Malcolmson: 6 of the 94 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook SheilaMalcolmsonBC · Instagram sheilamalcolmsonbc
- ↩ Sikander Kang: 19 of the 49 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook sikandersingh.kang.58
- ↩ Spencer Chandra Herbert: 36 of the 86 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook reelectspencerchandraherbert · X SChandraHerbert
- ↩ Stephen Dooley: 36 of the 46 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook stephendooley · X SteveDooleySFU
- ↩ Steve Morissette: 35 of the 41 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook page
- ↩ Sunita Dhir: 25 of the 65 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Instagram sunitadhirbc
- ↩ Terry Yung: 16 of the 16 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Instagram TerryYungBC · X terryyungyvr
- ↩ Tina Lee: 1 of the 53 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Facebook TinaLeeforPentictonSummerland
- ↩ Will Cole-Hamilton: 1 of the 100 campaign posts we read carry a restriction notice in the platform’s own words. Every post, with its date and link, is in the data panel. Instagram willcolehamilton
- ↩ Our read of Conservative and Green candidates’ accounts, 17 October 2026, by the same method as the BC NDP read: every post back to 1 June where the account allowed it, counting a post as restricted only when the platform’s own notice was recorded. Campaign posts readable for 53 Conservative and 43 Green candidates. Conservative candidates with a restricted post: Ward Stamer (Kamloops-North Thompson): Facebook 1 of 2; Mandeep Singh Dhaliwal (Surrey North): Instagram 1 of 7; Ian Paton (Delta South): Facebook 1 of 10; Tom Ikonomou (Vancouver-Renfrew): Facebook 1 of 15; Bryan Tepper (Surrey-Panorama): Instagram 1 of 18; David L Williams (Salmon Arm-Shuswap): Facebook 1 of 66. Green: Sidney Coles (Esquimalt-Colwood): Instagram 35 of 35; Tanya Webking (Vancouver-Strathcona): Facebook 2 of 2.
- ↩ Candidates’ own posts quoted in the “says” cards, read 17 October 2026: Jessie Sunner, X, 17 October; Sunita Dhir, Instagram, 17 October; Spencer Chandra Herbert, X, 3 October; Brittny Anderson, Facebook, about 16 October (permalink not captured; text checked against a screenshot). Jessie Sunner · Sunita Dhir · Spencer Chandra Herbert · Brittny Anderson
- ↩ BC NDP candidate pages, published by the party and read on 17 October 2026: terryyung.bcndp.ca (Terry Yung) · jinnysims.bcndp.ca (Jinny Sims). Saved copies on file.
Candidate photos: BC NDP. YouTube pages were read logged out; candidates’ posts were read on their own accounts on 17 October 2026. Dates on X posts are Pacific time, as X shows them.