Eby defends $450K comedian contract as BC runs record deficit

(Image courtesy of CBC)

With British Columbia facing a record $11.6-billion deficit, Premier David Eby is defending a speech-writing contract with a Vancouver comedian that critics say shows the government has misplaced priorities.

Opposition finance critic Peter Milobar revealed this week that the New Democrats signed a contract with writer and comedian Charles Demers, retaining him at $165 an hour to provide speeches and content for the premier. Documents show the initial two-year agreement is valued at up to $150,000, with options for two one-year extensions that could bring the total to $450,000.

“Premier Eby is telling families and small businesses to brace for cutbacks while his government quietly signs contracts worth nearly half a million dollars for a comedian,” Milobar said in a statement posted to the BC Conservatives’ website.

“If the premier wants to find something to cut, he can start with his $450,000 comedy contract. In the middle of the largest deficit in BC’s history, this is not only tone-deaf, it’s offensive to every taxpayer.”

Government defends contract

Eby pushed back on the criticism, saying Demers is part of a larger team of writers who help him handle the demands of his schedule.

“Today, for example, I’m delivering five speeches,” Eby told reporters in Vancouver. “I would love to be able to write my own speeches the way that I used to. But I do need support to be able to respond to each event that I go to. Speechwriters are a necessary part of the job.”

He added that Demers has been paid only $14,000 so far this year, noting the full value of the contract depends on whether the optional extensions are exercised.

The premier’s office has also acknowledged Demers was paid about $95,000 for earlier work between 2022 and 2024.

Contract value disputed

Demers himself addressed the controversy on Instagram, rejecting the opposition’s framing of the deal as a $450,000 taxpayer giveaway.

He called the $450,000 figure “hallucinatory,” saying the maximum possible payout under the current contract is $300,000 over four years. “David Eby’s not the first premier of British Columbia that I’ve written for. I wrote for John Horgan, although for John Horgan I did only write jokes,” Demers added.

The conflicting figures over the contract’s value have added to confusion over the potential cost, even as the NDP points to 850 job cuts in the public service and warns of further reductions to address the $11.6-billion deficit.

BC Operating Surplus (Deficit) from 2021 to 2026. Information received from the BC Public Accounts. The 2026 figure is an estimate from the BC government. Figures are expressed in millions ($).

Optics of spending

The optics of hiring a comedian during a fiscal crunch are proving politically difficult for the premier. The government has delayed hundreds of millions in hospital projects and faces ongoing strikes from the BC General Employees’ Union, which is seeking higher wages for frontline workers.

Milobar’s release tied the Demers contract to those broader pressures, pointing to rising debt servicing costs and what he called collapsing confidence in the province’s economic direction.

“British Columbians deserve a government that puts hospital beds and affordable homes ahead of joke writers,” Milobar said.

A continuing line of work

Demers, who has built a career as a comedian, author and broadcaster, has a long history of providing material for NDP premiers. He has previously written jokes for former leaders John Horgan and Adrian Dix.

Eby insisted the contract reflects the realities of his role, not personal favouritism. “Charlie is one of a group of speechwriters,” he said, adding that the workload of multiple events each day makes outside help necessary.

Still, the decision has opened the premier to accusations from critics that he is rewarding friends and insiders while asking ordinary British Columbians to accept cutbacks.

The contract controversy comes as the government attempts to reassure voters it can eventually balance the books despite rising deficits, debt and labour unrest. That message has been undercut by revelations that taxpayers are paying an hourly rate for a comedian, leaving the premier facing questions about judgment and priorities — questions unlikely to be answered with a joke.