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BC Liberals Leadership Race - Andrew Wilkinson Wins


DonLever

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From Global News:


 

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With Christy Clark stepping down as leader of the BC Liberals, the party will have to pick a new leader.

The party executive will have 28 days to meet and select a voting date for the new leader.

“The Liberal Party has a universal ballot in its constitution so every party member gets to vote for the leader,” said Mike Smyth, columnist for The Province.

“There are no requirements on when the leadership contest could be held but they do have to select a voting date within 28 days.”

 

He said that by the end of the summer British Columbians should have some indication of when a new Liberal leader will be selected.

“I guess the question is: Would it be this fall or would they extend it into the New Year?”

 

According to Smyth, it’s very likely there will be an interim leader followed by a wide-open leadership race.

But he said one name keeps popping up, and that is Conservative MP Dianne Watts.

“I have had a lot of interest in it though; her name does come up, and that’s one name that’ll have the NDP shaking in their boots, I think if she was to come in, because she was a very popular mayor when she was the mayor of Surrey.”

He said the role of the opposition leader is one many politicians will probably be interested in.

 

Other names put forward by Keith Baldrey:  Ellis Ross, Jas Johal, Mike Bernier,  Andrew Wilkenson,  Todd Stone,  James Moore,  Michael Lee. 

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From the National Post:


 

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Now, the attention turns to finding Clark’s replacement. There’s no shortage of “known quantities,” said Harrison and Maxwell Cameron, who also teaches political science at UBC. They include former Minister of Advanced Education Andrew Wilkinson, former Minister of Environment Mary Poleck and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan, who is currently the Liberal MLA for Vancouver-False Creek.

 

Kevin Falcon, who lost the leadership bid to Clark in 2011 by a 52-48 per cent margin, could also return, though he has been absent from politics since then. He previously held the positions of Minister of Finance, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Minister of State for Deregulation and Minister of Health.

Dianne Watts, the former Surrey mayor turned federal Conservative Infrastructure Critic, is also sure to be getting some calls. The Liberals lost ground in Metro Vancouver and Surrey in the May 9 election to the more city-focused NDP, and could look to urban areas for candidates who would better their chances there.

Among the new faces who could take over is Richmond MLA and former television reporter Jas Johal. He is “totally inexperienced in politics,” said Harrison, but has name recognition and could give the party an edge in dealing with the media. He is the first so far to publicly muse about running.

 

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Whoever they elect, Harrison said the party would be wise to do it soon — the likelihood of a snap election before 2021 is higher with a fragile coalition government in power.

“Over time, it wouldn’t be surprising if relations between the NDP and Green frayed,” she said. “At a certain point, if either of those parties feel like they’ll do better in a new election, they can pull the plug.”

The Liberals also need someone to fill the seat Clark vacated in Westside-Kelowna. It should be a fairly safe one, having been solidly held by the Liberals since it was first contested in 2009, but until it’s filled, the seat balance shifts from 44-43 in favour of the NDP/Green coalition to 44-42. By law, Premier John Horgan has six months to call a by-election for the seat. Until then, his government will be able to pass bills without relying on the speaker casting the tie-breaking vote.

 

But dragging out that timeline opens the door for the Liberals to accuse Horgan of playing politics, and leaving West Kelowna without representation.

“It’s a pretty fine line to walk,” Harrison said. “The real question will be, how long will they wait?”

 

 

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Kevin Falcon:  heavily involved in the triple delete and numerous other liberal scandals.  A career politician.

 

Dianne Watts:  Famous for that awesome mail out during the past election.  We'll fight jihadists at home and abroad.  As well as endorsing the barbaric practices hotline and the "old stock canadian" comment 

 

Jas Johal:  a mouthpiece for the BC liberals and now lying to people about thr LNG timeline and petronas pullout 

 

Great bunch of prospects ya got there...

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14 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

Kevin Falcon:  heavily involved in the triple delete and numerous other liberal scandals.  A career politician.

 

Dianne Watts:  Famous for that awesome mail out during the past election.  We'll fight jihadists at home and abroad.  As well as endorsing the barbaric practices hotline and the "old stock canadian" comment 

 

Jas Johal:  a mouthpiece for the BC liberals and now lying to people about thr LNG timeline and petronas pullout 

 

Great bunch of prospects ya got there...

Even with your nice little summary of each, I believe all 3 would beat Horgan in an election, especially Watts.

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If they're smart (and there's certainly no evidence of that) they'll distance themselves from the old guard. As Hippy pointed out, people like DeJong, Johal, Falcon (is he even and MLA still?) and Coleman are always going to be tied to Christy and Gordo.

 

If I had to bet, I'd guess they'll go with Polak, or maybe Sullivan.

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50 minutes ago, Whorvat said:

Even with your nice little summary of each, I believe all 3 would beat Horgan in an election, especially Watts.

Except if Watts is their choice the NDP will happily be able to claim she's a conservative with racist tendencies.

 

Falcon untrustworthy.

 

Johal a cheerleader with no experience 

 

They need to purge the old guard the same way the federal conservatives do.  To much negative history there

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A lot will depend on what dirt gets dug up over the next few months.

 

If  it sticks it will be the liberal brand that is unelectable and they will need to move.to yet another party.

 

Bc conservative or bc socreds...or follow saskatchewan and create the BC Party.

 

 

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On 31/07/2017 at 7:32 PM, iwtl said:

A lot will depend on what dirt gets dug up over the next few months.

 

If  it sticks it will be the liberal brand that is unelectable and they will need to move.to yet another party.

 

Bc conservative or bc socreds...or follow saskatchewan and create the BC Party.

 

 

I don't like the B.C liberals but you and a few others apparently forgot they won the election.

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From Global News:

 

Surrey Conservative MP Dianne Watts is set to step down from her federal seat and run for the leadership of the BC Liberal Party.

Watts, the former three-term mayor of Surrey, has long been speculated as a candidate to lead the BC Liberals, who became the opposition after the BC NDP formed a minority government with the support of the Greens.

She’s expected to announce her run for the leadership on Sunday.

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/3759980/dianne-watts-bc-liberal-leadership/

 

From Georgia Straight:

 

Another Metro Vancouver politician, Andrew Wilkinson, is also expected to declare his intention to seek the B.C. Liberals leadership position this weekend.

Wilkinson is the Liberal MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena. He was first elected to the B.C. legislature in 2013 and previously served as the minister of advanced education, minister of technology, innovation, and citizens’ services, and, before that, minister of economic development.

 

 

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In addition to Andrew Wilkinson and Diane Watts, Sam Sullivan has enters the BC Liberal Leadership Race.

 

From  Global:

 

Former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan has thrown his hat in the ring for the leadership of the BC Liberal Party.

Sullivan announced on Thursday that he had filed papers to enter the race, vowing to bring more “urban and youth support” for the party.

 

Sullivan said his top priority would be to reduce home prices by increasing supply and end the drug overdose crisis by making “substitution treatments” available.

He noted that, while he served as Vancouver’s mayor, a position he held from 2005 to 2008, he championed the “EcoDensity” policy that encouraged development along transit lines, in centres and along corridors.

 

Sullivan also said he would tackle the overdose crisis through what he called Chronic Addiction Substitution Treatments (C.A.S.T.).

“Today, house prices and overdose deaths are higher than ever,” he said. “As leader I will modernize city governments so cities no longer prevent housing but create housing, and add hundreds of homes for rental, currently empty because of strata rules.”

Sullivan also said he wanted to bring in an “MST,” which he called a modified version of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), a tax that was voted down in a 2011 referendum.

But an HST, he noted is “universally endorsed by economists around the world.” He wanted to bring in a version that would have “all the advantages,” but also had exemptions on goods and services for low-income people.

 

Sullivan joined the race one day after news emerged that former Surrey mayor and current Conservative MP Dianne Watts would run for Liberal leader.

Former attorney general Andrew Wilkinson is expected to announce his own run on Monday.

Entrants to the race must pay a $10,000 fee just to run; they have to pay $50,000 if they wish to stay in the race until February, when voting commences.

BC Liberal members will vote on a new leader from Feb. 1 through 3.

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