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April 26, 2012
Christy Clark would make a wonderful leader of the Liberal Party of B.C., if
there were one. Unfortunately for her, she is leader of the B.C. Liberal Party.
As everyone knows, the B.C. Liberal Party is not liberal. It is a coalition of
conservatives and the old Social Credit Party. So, when conservatives abandon
the party, there's not much left.
The surging B.C. Conservative Party couldn't be happier. In this case, the
prefix "B.C." doesn't mean that the party is something other than what the name
suggests. These are real conservatives, not progressive conservatives, not red
Tories. To make sure no one got the wrong idea, they changed their name from the
B.C. Progressive Conservative Party in1991.
In his letter to the Daily News, a director of the B.C. Conservative Party
gleefully wonders how long Christy Clark will last. "What a difference a little
over a year can make, which is why people are asking, 'How long can Christy
Clark last?' "
It's no mystery why Clark's fortunes as leader of the B.C. Liberals are going in
the opposite direction of Alberta's Alison Redford, leader of the Progressive
Conservatives.
Both came from outside the party establishment to become leaders of conservative
parties. The difference is that Redford moved her party to become more
progressive and Clark has surrendered any liberal inclinations she had. She now
brands her party as "free enterprise," a label the B.C. Conservatives already
own. The Alberta PCs are arguably now more liberal than the B.C. Liberals.
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Clark has deep connections to the federal Liberal Party. In her bid for
mayor of Vancouver in 2005 relied on federal Liberals in her campaign team.
As radio host, Clark routinely took potshots at Prime Minister Stephen
Harper. In Alberta, the Harper Conservative's election machinery backed the
Wildrose Party not the PCs.
When first elected, Clark tried to rebrand the B.C. Liberal party as liberal
despite resistance from the establishment. First she raised the minimum
wage. Then she vowed to add a new Family Day holiday to the calendar. "In
British Columbia we are blessed with families of all shapes and sizes,
families as diverse as our great province. This is the foundation of our
communities. This is the building block of our future."
As a good first step, Clark got rid of nine of Gordon Campbell's cabinet
ministers in an attempt to but her stamp on the party. Her government would
focus on education "with passion, with energy and with real commitment."
Clark's original intentions to invest in people sounded much like Alison
Redford successful campaign. The conservative Wildrose party's response was
to rein in government spending on schools and health care.
Christy Clark could have rebranded the B.C. Liberals as Redford did in
Alberta with advertisements claiming "Not your father's PC party." Instead,
Clark is stuck with "Campbell's party" and the best that her party
establishment can come up with is a threat of splitting the "free enterprise
vote" with the B.C. Conservatives, content to leave the progressive vote to
the NDP.
Attempts by the B.C. Liberal Party to transform Clark into a conservative
have been dismal. The normally genial and glib radio host looks
uncomfortable and wooden as party handlers have her saying improbable
things. Tightly-scripted photo-ops end abruptly and she is quickly hauled
away before reporters can ask questions.
The Liberal brand in B.C. could be rejuvenated. Gordon Wilson did it when he
brought B.C. Liberal Party back to life in 1991. Sometimes a leader creates
a party not the other way around.
David Charbonneau is the owner of Trio Technical.
He can be reached at
dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca
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