The provincial election in British Columbia has turned into a contest between an incumbent party with a new leader and an upstart party that has not elected a member of the Legislative Assembly in this century. A couple of years ago, few would have imagined that the juggernaut that governed British Columbia from 2001 to 2017—winning four majority mandates under the name BC Liberals—would become a secondary player.

In our latest voting intention survey, BC United (formerly the BC Liberals) is tied for third place with the BC Green Party, garnering the support of 12 per cent of decided voters. The Conservative Party of BC is 20 points ahead (32 per cent). The ruling BC New Democratic Party (NDP) is 30 points ahead (42 per cent).

Many will say the rebrand is a major factor in BC United’s low standing with British Columbians. Their problems, however, began years earlier. The campaign finance reform legislation introduced by the BC NDP and the BC Greens in 2017 ended the reliance of the BC Liberals on corporate handouts. Fundraising in smaller amounts from individual donors can be immensely challenging.

The last provincial election took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it impossible for the BC Liberals to do........

© BIV