D'Arcy McGee: In Andrew Wilkinson, BC Liberals stay the course with familiar cabinet face, rather than indicate shift to new direction

Sunday, February 4, 2018

In Andrew Wilkinson, BC Liberals stay the course with familiar cabinet face, rather than indicate shift to new direction

After five rounds of balloting BC Liberals went with Andrew Wilkinson
to take over from Christy Clark as leader on Saturday night

Saturday night in a downtown Vancouver hotel convention hall, the British Columbia Liberals selected Andrew Wilkinson as their new leader, choosing to go with a long time, familiar face around the party to take their challenge to the new NDP government.

A signal perhaps that they're quite happy to stand ready to defend their record of the last sixteen years or so, holding firm to some of their decisions when it comes to their days of governance from the past.

Wilkinson, a former cabinet minister and president of the party, came from the mid spot in the pack of six hopefuls to claim a fifth round victory, securing the second choice votes from those who fell during the vote count early in the evening on Saturday night.

Former Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts, who left federal politics as Conservative MP for the Surrey area to take up the quest for leadership, set the pace for much of the night, leading in each round of results that was announced, except for the one that counted the most.

An inability to grow her vote from second choice balloting saw her lead decrease with each round, giving the two term MLA for Vancouver Quilchena, who having staked his claim to second place in the fourth round, had the opportunity to jump to the top of the listings in the final round of voting.

Falling by the wayside one after another on the night, were Sam Sullivan, Mike de Jong, Todd Stone, and Micheal Lee, candidates who never seemed to rise to the status of everyone's favourite second pick.

For Wilkinson, with careers as a former doctor and lawyer listed among some of his previous occupations and community involvements, building a network of current and former Liberal MLA's and party officials seemed to have provided the foundation for the final push, as the 60,000 or so party delegates who voted online and over the phone decided to keep the leadership in the Liberal establishment for the most part.

When the final results were announced, Mr. Wilkinson had a five percent lead over the long serving Surrey politician, taking the Liberal title with 52 percent of the vote, compared to Ms. Watts at near 47 percent.

The new leader who inherits more than a bit of political turmoil from former Premier Christy Clark will be looking to not only rededicate the Liberals at the grass roots and across the province, but to also put the focus on the alliance between the NDP and Greens in the Legislature, eager to try and push them apart on major issues once the new session arrives.

He also will be looking to sidetrack the NDP/Greens ambitions to move BC towards their planned electoral reform initiative, that despite the rather ironic way in which he claimed the Liberal title, that by way of a preferential balloting session.

A bit of political theatre that no doubt will be something that NDP Premier John Horgan probably will take note of the first time Wilkinson weighs in on the theme in the months to come.

Mr. Wilkinson made travel to the Northwest a key part of his campaign for the leadership, calling on his past experiences prior to politics in Northern BC and elsewhere in the province as an indication that he understands the issues of the region.

His approach resonated with both John Rustad of Nechako Lakes and Skeena MLA Ellis Ross, the latter was early to endorse the candidate and expanded on why he had thrown his support to the candidate with this video post to his Facebook page.

With Wilkinson now at the head of the BC Liberals, Mr. Ross would seem poised to build on his already high profile in the Legislature, as the new leader prepares to make decisions on shadow cabinet spots.

A pair of stopovers in Prince Rupert in October and January, provided for the theme of economic development to the North Coast. With the candidate taking note of the stalled LNG proposals in the region and the need to create stable employment opportunities for those living in Prince Rupert and other communities of the region.

During his Meet and Greets in the community he also spoke to issues such as Housing and Health care for the northwest.