David Robert Patrick Eby KC MLA (/iːbi/; born July 21, 1976)[1][2] is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has served as the 37th premier of British Columbia since November 18, 2022.

A member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP), he has represented the electoral district of Vancouver-Point Grey in the Legislative Assembly since 2013.

In 2017, he was appointed attorney general in premier John Horgan's cabinet, where he contributed to policies aimed at addressing housing affordability, money laundering, and electoral reform.

[10] He worked at Pivot Legal Society from 2005 to 2008[11] in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside before becoming the executive director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) from 2008 until 2012.

[19] Eby strongly considered standing in the 2014 British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership election, but declined after learning his then-fiancée was pregnant.

[21] Following the 2017 British Columbia election, which saw the NDP form government with the support of the Green Party, Eby was appointed to the cabinet of John Horgan as attorney general.

Josh Paterson, the executive director of the BC Civil Liberties Association, said the law should be "the model that other provinces should seek to copy.

[28] On July 24, 2017, Eby released a report by accounting firm Ernst & Young that concluded that ICBC was in a poor financial situation.

[29] Over the next few months, Eby enacted measures to help tackle the issue, including a 6.4% rate increase, red light cameras at high-collision intersections, and a pilot program to eliminate distracted driving.

[31] The following day, Eby described ICBC as a "financial dumpster fire" due to the "reckless decisions" and negligence of the previous Liberal government.

Eby promised "major reforms to make ICBC financially viable again" would be announced shortly, but ruled out a switch to a no-fault insurance system.

[34][35] In September 2018, a new method of calculating insurance premiums came into effect that was more heavily weighted towards driving experience and crash history, and overall determined more by driver than vehicle.

The change limited the types of collision where an ICBC customer can go to court for damage, with disputes instead being handled through the Civil Resolution Tribunal.

The change to a no-fault system was justified as dramatically reducing the legal costs of ICBC, quickening payment of benefits, and lowering premiums.

After having been told by ICBC officials that a cap on injury costs would save $1 billion annually but still wasn't enough to prevent a 36% rate increase over the next five years, Eby was convinced the existing set-up was unsustainable.

[44] In March 2020, Eby announced plans to introduce legislation to ensure ICBC's profits would remain in the corporation, used to reduce premiums or increase benefits, and prevent governments using it to cover other expenses – a practice Eby had previously criticized the Liberal government for, and that he said had contributed to ICBC's poor financial state.

He found it "incomprehensible that the previous government had not done more to reduce the risk of money laundering and criminal activity in BC gambling facilities".

[52] A week later, on May 15, the government announced a public inquiry into money laundering, to be headed by BC Supreme Court justice Austin Cullen.

It concluded that the federal anti-money laundering regime was not effective, and that the province needed to develop its own system and tools in order to combat the problem.

[55] On October 4, 2017, Eby announced that the referendum would be conducted by mail ballot in by the end of November 2018 and would require a simple province-wide majority to be approved.

[59] In a post-referendum interview, Eby explained that the two-question ballot was the result of the public consultations, and reflected a lack of consensus on an alternative system.

He admitted surprise at how decisive the result was, but did not think any form of PR would have won in a single-ballot referendum, and concluded, "It does not seem to me British Columbians were in favour of changing the system.

As minister, Eby vigorously pushed for more homeless shelters, lobbying municipal governments and politicians to approve zoning plans and permit extensions ahead of their votes.

[78] Two years away from a statutory election, Eby inherited a government facing critical issues including housing affordability, inflation, health care concerns, public safety, and natural resource debates.

[80] In August 2023, Eby wrote to the Bank of Canada requesting a freeze on interest rate increases, which were contributing to high mortgage payments in British Columbia.

[81] In September 2023, Eby's government announced that the province's maximum permitted rent increase for 2024 would be 3.5%, above the previous 2% but below Canada's inflation rate.

Under the StrongerBC post-secondary education initiative, 1,800 forestry workers will be provided job training to help shift toward value-added products like mass timber.

Eby and emergency management minister Bowinn Ma announced in September 2023 that they would establish a task force to make recommendations for future wildfire responses, such as increasing volunteer recruitment and providing more effective support for evacuees.

In his first 18 months in office, his government: No other province or state in North America has both ended single family zoning and mandated transit oriented density.

[97] Toward the end of 2023, Eby's government adopted the International Credentials Recognition Act making it easier for foreign-trained doctors and nurses to work in British Columbia.