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
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.