Which three Liberal MLAs won't run in next vote?
Leader Wilkinson sees turnover as a chance to inject ‘youthful enthusiasm’ into the party
B.C. Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson’s revelation at least three members of his caucus have signalled they won’t be running in the next provincial election has some speculating about who they might be.
“Rumours of my imminent departure are greatly exaggerated,” six-term Abbotsford MLA Mike de Jong told Postmedia when asked last week.
Other long-serving MLAs were likely fielding similar questions after Wilkinson said Thursday the party was shifting into a period of renewal.
Every party needs new faces and new blood, the Liberal leader told a news conference, adding he expects at least three members of the Liberal caucus to announce they will not be running in the next provincial election, set for 2021. He did not name the three members.
University of the Fraser Valley political scientist Hamish Telford said it’s not surprising some MLAs have already decided not to run.
“Before every election we see this. It’s not so surprising coming from the Liberal side, especially since it’s difficult to go from government to opposition,” he said.
Telford said there appears to be consensus within the party that there is room for some fresh faces, including more women and minority candidates.
“They certainly don’t want all rookies, but there’s really a need for some turnover to give a mix of new and experienced candidates,” he said, speculating that Wilkinson is already “actively courting” people, especially since it’s unclear how long the NDP minority government will last.
But the political scientist said a new team is only one part of the equation. The party needs to work on the “policy front” to come up with a platform that will win back voters they lost in the last election, primarily those in the urban Lower Mainland.
“It won’t be easy,” Telford predicted. “They’ll really have to work on that.”
Complicating the situation for the Liberals are several issues that have emerged after they lost the 2017 election, including the spending scandal at the Legislature, inaction on money laundering, and ICBC’s financial woes.
"(The Liberal government) was not a government defeated on scandal issues, but we’re seeing the skeletons coming out of the closet now,” said Telford. “They’ll have to come up with a new message, as well as some new faces to convince voters.”
Prince George MLA Shirley Bond, who was first elected in 2001, said she hasn’t decided if she will run in the next election. “I always put a lot of thought into that.”
But she said she embraces the idea of party renewal.
“Do we need to see more women candidates? Absolutely. Do we need to see a broader spectrum of candidates? Absolutely, yes,” she said. “But it’s not either-or,” she added, emphasizing the need for experienced candidates too.
Linda Reid is the longest-serving MLA in the current parliament. She has been elected to represent Richmond seven consecutive times since 1991. Rich Coleman has also been a fixture in the Legislature, having been first elected in 1996.
In the aftermath of the Nanaimo byelection, Wilkinson pointed to Tony Harris — the 34-year-old Liberal candidate who took 40 per cent of the vote — as the type of successful and well-known local representative the party needs in the next election.
“That kind of youthful enthusiasm is exactly what we’re looking for in candidates,” he said.
In the end, New Democrat Sheila Malcolmson won the riding with over 49 per cent of the vote.
“We’ve got a new approach to things and we’re very excited about the future, as this is a very unstable coalition government now,” said Wilkinson.