OTTAWA—David Eby, the outgoing premier of British Columbia, must regret his decision to call a snap election after being soundly defeated this past weekend by an interim party leader few people outside of his immediate family and constituents knew six weeks ago. Say “hello” to Lorne Doerkson, the leader of the B.C. Conservative Party who is now the province’s premier-designate.

There are so many fascinating lessons out of this election, and two immediately leap to mind for Eby. The first is: don’t treat the electorate as if they are fools. Eby’s early election call played out as crass opportunism, and while it likely wasn’t the primary reason for his defeat, it put him in a defensive posture from Day 1 of the election call and lingered throughout.

The second lesson is United States President Donald Trump isn’t always the perfect political foil. Prime Minister Mark Carney was able to run against Trump and win. Premier Doug Ford was able to do the same in Ontario. Eby couldn’t get the public to take the same bite of the apple. Based on Doerkson’s comprehensive victory, British Columbians’........

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