B.C. Liberals election defeat post-mortem document says vote not 'winnable' at start
The British Columbia Liberal Party says last fall's election defeat was caused by factors that included an unenthusiastic campaign platform, an uncomfortable leader and widespread perception within the party it was destined to lose.
The party says in a post-mortem accounting of last October's election a different strategy, message and leadership style could have resulted in more votes for the Liberals.
The Liberals lost more than a dozen seats and were reduced to 28 members as Premier John Horgan's New Democrats were re-elected with a majority, winning 57 seats.
The Liberal report says Horgan's decision to call a snap election during the COVID-19 pandemic was “nakedly opportunistic.”
It says the resulting campaign climate offered limited ability to conduct public events, recruit and mobilize volunteers or create political momentum.
The Liberals say the report was based on the results of a survey sent to more than 3,000 party volunteers and candidates, as well as interviews with candidates, strategists, senior officials and campaign staff.
The report says former leader Andrew Wilkinson, who stepped down shortly after the election, was described as thoughtful and empathetic in personal meetings with voters. In the public arena, however, the report found he came across as “stilted, combative and uncomfortable,” resulting in “broad dissatisfaction with his leadership.”
The Liberals will elect a new leader in February, with four candidates already vying for the job.
The report says the party must now embark on programs to recruit more young members, train prospective candidates and undergo a rebranding that supports the values and aspirations of voters.
“The party is perceived by many as lacking diversity, fairly or unfairly,” says the report. “The B.C. Liberals need to recruit, listen to and elevate British Columbians of every gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity and economic background. The province has changed and so should the B.C. Liberals.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.