Provincial Liberals need giant makeover
With the BC NDP locked in for a four-year term, now’s the time for the BC Liberals to re-evaluate why they’re no longer in vogue with voters.
In 15 years, the BC Liberals have gone from a 77-seat landslide by Gordon Campbell to today when they have only 28 seats in the Legislature — three are from the Central Okanagan.
The party is in desperate need of a makeover, starting with its name.
What is a BC Liberal?
When one hears the word, “Liberal,” names such as Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chrétien come to mind.
Although the BC Liberals morphed from an alliance — they introduced environmental policies that were cutting edge — they’re a right-learning, pro-business party.
The party’s ideologies are far from the federal party which shares the same name.
Although the Conservatives are a fringe party provincially, when their name shows up on a ballot, it confuses casual voters (those who don’t pay attention, but vote out of obligation) and Alberta transplants.
Although their best showing in any riding was fourth, Conservatives can be spoilers when the race is close.
In last fall’s election, the BC Liberals didn’t seem to offer much to younger voters. They appealed to their base that put them in power for 16 years. It wasn’t enough.
Former leader Andrew Wilkinson probably deserved a better fate. He was a Rhodes Scholar and had a career as a physician in rural parts of B.C. before switching to a full-time career in law. Unlike many who enter federal or provincial politics, he didn’t need the money.
He simply lacked pizzaz.
The Liberals are now without a leader. Names like Dianne Watts and Todd Stone — both who challenged for the leaderhsip in 2017 — are often mentioned as possible successors. There’s also rumours Gordon Campbell-era cabinet minister Kevin Falcon will mount a comeback. Rene Merrifield’s name in Kelowna Mission has even been whispered.
Head office must look outside of the box. Perhaps there’s someone in federal politics. They need a fresh face — an Obama or Justin Trudeau — someone who voters are excited to get behind.
They need to do something. It starts with who they are as a party. What are their goals? What is their philosophy?
Are the Liberals a centrist or right-leaning party? Nobody knows. Their MLAs might not even know.
Once they determine who they are as a party, their next job is educating the public.
The good news is the party has four years to create and execute a plan.