BC Liberal Leadership Race
The BC Liberal Party is holding its second leadership race in 4 years. Andrew Wilkinson won the leadership in 2018 and stepped down as party leader in 2020 following a loss in the provincial election that year.
How does voting for the BC Liberal Leadership work?
Voters can cast a ballot in the 2022 BC Liberal Leadership race by becoming a member of the BC Liberal Party by December 17, 2021 or having renewed a valid membership by December 29, 2021.
Voting is by way of a ranked ballot where members can select the order of their preferred candidates. If their top candidate gets eliminated in the tally, their next choice gets their vote.
Each of British Columbia’s 87 ridings is worth 100 points. The candidate who first achieves more than 50% of available points will win the BC Liberal leadership.
2022 BC Liberal Party Leadership Candidates
Gavin Dew
Kevin Falcon
Michael Lee
Stan Sipos
2018 BC Liberal Leadership Contest
In 2018 Andrew Wilkinson won the leadership of the BC Liberal Party and became the Leader of the Official Opposition.
The other leadership candidates were Michael de Jong, Michael Lee, Todd Stone, Sam Sullivan, and Dianne Watts.
2011 BC Liberal Leadership Campaign
In 2011 Christy Clark won the leadership of the BC Liberal Party and became the Premier of British Columbia.
The other candidates were George Abbott, Mike de Jong, and Kevin Falcon.
Who is the Leader of the BC Liberal Party?
Shirley Bond is serving as the interim leader of the BC Liberal Party and the Leader of the Official Opposition in the BC Legislature.
Bond was elected by the members of the Caucus after Andrew Wilkinson stepped down as leader. She has been praised for her steady guidance of the caucus during a time of transition while the campaign to elect a new BC Liberal leader is underway.
BC Liberals vs Federal Liberals
Unlike the Green Party or the New Democratic Party (NDP), the BC Liberals are an independent entity that is not affiliated with any federal party. Party members include federal Conservatives, federal Liberals, as well as British Columbians who feel most comfortable in the BC Liberal Party and have no federal affiliation.
The BC Liberal Party has traditionally described itself as a free enterprise coalition. It has long stood for fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets while also championing public services like healthcare and education. It also led the way by implementing an innovative revenue-neutral carbon tax as part of the BC Liberal governments Climate initiatives.