Bill Barisoff: ‘I like Mike’
Former Penticton MLA Bill Barisoff has thrown his support behind Mike de Jong to be the next leader of the BC Liberal Party, while the city’s current representative in Victoria is content to stay on the fence — for now.
“Mike de Jong is my first choice, because he’s the kind of leader we need – and he is ready to lead on his first day on the job,” Barisoff said in a press release Monday.
“I worked with Mike and I know he can take the fight to John Horgan and the NDP, and he can begin the critical work needed to renew the party and get ready to win the next election.”
Barisoff served as MLA from 1996 until 2013, when he decided not to run again. He was ultimately replaced by current Penticton Liberal MLA Dan Ashton, who has not — and may not — declare a favourite in the leadership race.
“I’m still on the sidelines. It’s a decision of the individuals in the riding,” Ashton said in an interview Monday.
Asked if he will eventually endorse a candidate, Ashton was similarly non-committal: “We’ll see,” he replied.
Barisoff served in cabinet and as Speaker of the House during his long tenure in Victoria, but was actually preceded in the legislature by two years by de Jong, who worked as finance minister until the Liberals were toppled by the Green-NDP coalition last summer.
The press release sent out by de Jong’s leadership campaign notes a total of 16 “team members” who have now pledged support for the Abbotsford-West MLA.
The list includes sitting Liberal MLAs Mike Bernier — who scrapped his own leadership bid early in the process — Stephanie Cadieux, Dan Davies, Simon Gibson and John Martin.
The only other Okanagan endorsement for de Jong besides Barisoff’s is from former Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Al Horning.
Current Liberal MLA Linda Larson, who represents Boundary-Similkameen, and Norm Letnick from Kelowna-Lake Country, are both supporting Andrew Wilkinson, while Kelowna-Mission MLA Steve Thomson is backing Todd Stone.
The new Liberal leader will be announced Feb. 3.
All six candidates will gather for one final debate before then on Jan. 23 in Vancouver.