B.C. Premier David Eby called a snap provincial election Tuesday, sending voters to the polls two years early on the grounds he needs a strong mandate to deal with the economic chaos caused by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Voters will head to the polls Oct. 24.

The call was made amid acrimony among the opposition Conservatives. The party currently forms the Official Opposition, but weeks of turmoil have seen more than a dozen Conservative MLAs leave the party, the ouster of its new leader, the creation of a new centre-right party in the legislature and the appointment of an interim Conservative leader.

Mr. Eby’s popularity has been battered by record-breaking budget deficits, skyrocketing provincial debt, a succession of credit downgrades and uncertainty over Indigenous claims to private property and their influence over public policy.