Christy Clark to resign as BC Liberal Leader

[Keenan's Moustache]

http://vancouversun.com/news/politics/christy-clark-resigns-as-leader-of-b-c-liberal-party

 

 

Former Premier Christy Clark is stepping down as leader of the B.C. Liberal party.

Clark, who served as B.C. premier for six and a half years, has informed her caucus that she will resign as party leader on Aug. 4.

Her Liberals won the most seats in the May 9 election, with 43, but they fell one short of a gaining a majority. The NDP with 41 seats and the Greens with three were able to forge an alliance that led to the NDP forming government, ending the Liberals’ 16-year reign.

Clark will also be resigning as MLA of Kelowna West. 

Premier John Horgan will have six months to call by-election to fill her vacant seat in the legislature..

“I’m excited to see the renewed engagement that will strengthen and energize our party as we choose the next leader,” Clark said in an email. “I am certain that British Columbia’s best days, and our party’s, are still ahead of us. Because British Columbians can, through hard work, achieve anything they set their minds to – and the BC Liberal Party is the embodiment of that ambitious and generous spirit.”

 

Clark’s full statement:

“Today, I informed my caucus colleagues of my intention to resign as leader of the BC Liberal Party effective Friday, August 4.

Serving as Premier and serving the people of British Columbia for the past six and a half years has been an incredible honour and privilege.

I am so proud of everything our BC Liberal Team has accomplished. From working to make British Columbia Canada’s leading economy and creating more than 200,000 new jobs, to helping thousands of single parents go from welfare to work through the Single Parent Employment Initiative, to British Columbia’s gift to the world, the protection of the Great Bear Rainforest.

I am certain that British Columbia’s best days lie ahead. Because British Columbians can, through hard work, determination, and perseverance, achieve anything they set their minds to.”

 

MORE TO COME

 

[goalie13]

3 hours ago, Keenan's Moustache said:

Clark will also be resigning as MLA of Kelowna West. 

It's funny, in the Vancouver Province article it says that she hasn't announced whether she will resign her seat.

 

http://www.theprovince.com/news/local+news/christy+clark+resigns+leader+liberal+party/13934299/story.html

 

I would have thought she would hang onto the seat at least until the Liberals have a chance to select a new leader.

 

edit:  Story has since been updated that she is leaving her seat.

[DoughtysCheck]

Good, now we can vote to have the Liberals back in power

[trek]

9 minutes ago, DoughtysCheck said:

Good, now we can vote to have the Liberals back in power

Yes, quickly.

[Lancaster]

Nothing special nor surprising.  When the party you're leading "loses"... it means you're out.  

She did smoke Adrian Dix and still technically won the 2017 election even with a train-wreck of a campaign..... 

All in all, she did alright.  

[Silky mitts]

good riddance

[luckylager]

Will she be an oil lobbyist or join the federal conservatives?

 

I'm going with both

 

 

[DonLever]

Good riddance.  Christy Clark ran an incredibly inept election campaign.   She got outsmarted by the NDP when she announced a cap on tolls on bridges south of the Fraser.  Then the NDP said no tolls, costing her almost all of the Surrey ridings, which probably  help in a big measure to her defeat.   Sometimes you have to bribe the voters which most political campaigns seem to understand.   For example, Trudeau promised lower taxes for the middle classes.   What did Clark do to entice voters, nothing,  except lower MSP Premiums which 1/2 the population don't even pay since they are covered at work.

 

Now we come to Clark herself.   She was dislike by many, including Liberal voters.  Her fake smile turned everyone off.   The campaign became personal, "anyone but Clark".  When this happened you know your campaign is in trouble.   The last straw was the flip flops after the election.  She promised to not ask for a new election yet asked for one from the LG.   Then she adopted the very platform the NDP ran under:  more social spending and no tolls.   That must gone well with the fiscal conservative wing of the party.  It just proved that's she wanted to hold onto power without any convictions.

 

The question is whether she was pushed out or did she left on her own.  A lot of people in the party was not happy with her performance.  The BC Liberals, like the Socreds before, are a coalition of Federal Liberals and Federal Conservatives on the organizational level.  There is always tension in the party.  Which side has the upper hand is always in flux.   When Clark became leader of the BC Liberals,  some disliked her because of the ties to the Federal Liberals.  The were ready to turf her out if she had lost her first election.  Unexpected she won her first election.  Maybe its the group that wanted her out years ago are the same group that pushed her out.

[DonLever]

9 minutes ago, luckylager said:

Will she be an oil lobbyist or join the federal conservatives?

 

I'm going with both

 

 

She is a Federal Liberal at heart so she could be appointed to some job by Justin Trudeau.

[Violator]

 

[aGENT]

And off to a nice, lucrative and cushy 'advisory' job or the like from one of the organizations that's been padding her party's pockets for the last 16 years no doubt.

 

Surely to be replaced by someone exactly the same at the top of the party.

 

#change!

 

 

 

[-DLC-]

 

[DragonSlayer14]

I always felt that the Liberals lost the election, not because of their platform but, because of Clark. I feel like, over her tenure as Premier, she had accumulated enough criticism that resulted in a sort of vilification; despite any good she might have done, the mistakes and criticisms of her incumbency would cost her and the party. I would even argue that if the BC Liberals had elected another leader before this election, then her party might have gained a couple more seats, and might have potentially remained in power. But at the end of the day, the NDP's capitalization on Clark's vilification worked in their favour.

[Burnt Gravy]

I have a major crush on her for some reason. I don't even hear words the out of her mouth when she is speaking. If it wasn't for written language, I wouldn't even know she was a politician. 

 

I wish I was her boy slave kept locked in the garden shed to be honest. 

[PhillipBlunt]

Back to hell that spawned her hopefully.

 

“Today, I informed my caucus of fellow vile serpents of my intention to resign as head snake of the BC Parasite Party effective Friday, August 4.

Serving as Premier and serving the people of British Columbia for the past six and a half years has been an incredible opportunity for me to fatten my bank account and, to a much lesser extent, a privilege.

 

I am so proud of everything our BC Liberal Team has accomplished. I can't believe we got away with screwing over British Columbians for as long as we did, but hey, it worked  

 

From working to make British Columbia Canada’s leading economy and creating more than 200,000 new jobs, to f'ing over thousands of single of BC families and citizens, to British Columbia’s gift to the world, the protection of the Great Bear Rainforest. But I couldn't give two squirts of piss about any bear outside of that forest, which I was sadly not allowed to deforest, stupid hippies!

 

I am certain that British Columbia’s best days lie ahead. I know mine sure do. I get a cushy comfortable job as a lobbyist and don't have to answer to the whiny, ineffectual assholes in BC, who finally caught on to my lies and deceit.

 

Because British Columbians can, through hard work, determination, and perseverance, achieve anything they set their minds to, but mostly they'll just take it like they always have.

 

Peace out, suckers!”

[luckylager]

33 minutes ago, DonLever said:

She is a Federal Liberal at heart so she could be appointed to some job by Justin Trudeau.

That's BS.

 

She's a conservative, with conservative values and an extreme aversion to anything left leaning.... that is until she's trying to hold on to power, then she'll say anything, even steal the NDP's platform.

[Glory_Days]

Good riddance, could never stand her.

 

Liberals needed to be outed anyways, 16 straight years in power is too long. Grew fat, comfortable, overconfident and their policies basically became "We're gonna shove this down your throats whether you like it or not and if you don't like it, you better take it with a smile".

 

Liberals need to elect someone remotely palatable, then when Adrian Dix  John Horgan/NDP drop the ball they can get back into power.

[Sapper]

2 to 3 years I'd bet then we will see the next election.  Libs need time to select a new leader and get them in the house if it's an outsider. The new leader will need to show they are not Christy 2.0 before the next election 

[kingofsurrey]

Just a FANTASTIC day for all BCer's.

 

Wow.  REALLY great news.   Not sure how long it will take for our once fantastic province to recover from all the damage her governments have inflicted on this province...

 

Time to open a bottle and start to celebrate.....      Such GREAT NEWS for our province. 

[DonLever]

24 minutes ago, luckylager said:

That's BS.

 

She's a conservative, with conservative values and an extreme aversion to anything left leaning.... that is until she's trying to hold on to power, then she'll say anything, even steal the NDP's platform.

Gordon Campbell and Kevin Falcon are Conservatives.   Christy Clark is on the Federal Liberal faction of the BC Liberal coalition.

 

From the Globe and Mail, 2011:

 

Quote

 

Ms. Clark's federal Liberal connections run deep. She worked as a staffer for the Grits in Ottawa before embarking on a political career of her own. Her ex-husband Mark Marissen has been an influential federal Liberal organizer for years. But those links can be problematic when you are suddenly the head of a political party that is a coalition of Liberals and Conservatives.

There are many people on the right wing of the B.C. Liberal Party who are deeply suspicious of Ms. Clark's political leanings. It wouldn't take much for those monitoring the new Premier to be convinced that her celebrated Liberal allegiances make it impossible for her to cater to the party's Conservative wing.

Ms. Clark is aware of these suspicions, which is why she has given Kevin Falcon, her party's Conservative standard-bearer, the important posts of Finance Minister and deputy premier. But she will have to go further than that to keep the red-meat-eating members of her party happy. And the last thing she wants is to annoy anyone by becoming a cheerleader for Michael Ignatieff in B.C.

My guess is Ms. Clark won't even wear her trademark red scarf in public during the federal election, least she risk offending those in her party more inclined to wear blue.