Saturday April 8, 2023 | VICTORIA, BC [Updated 4:12 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The longstanding BC Liberal Party will relaunch their party name and brand as BC United.
That’s coming up Wednesday April 12 at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel in Surrey.
BC’s Official Opposition Leader, Kevin Falcon, will be joined by caucus and party members for the BC United launch which starts at 6 pm PDT (doors open at 4:30 pm).
The name change was approved by 80 percent of the membership back in November 2022.
Graphic design & branding:
The whole name change process will involve a lot of branding exposure. That’s a lot of business for whichever graphic design folks circulate in the BC Liberal world.
Bolstering popularity:
Falcon and the party seem to think a name change will bolster the party’s popularity with both potential candidates and the voting public, as they may try to unseat the NDP government in the next provincial election.
Meanwhile, the name somewhat obfuscates the right-leaning political direction of the party, which is unlikely to change despite a party name that perhaps implies being closer to the center. For some people the new name might also conjure up a religious overtone if it makes folks even subconsciously think of the United Church, creating a bit of a dog-whistle effect (signalling to a particular segment of society).
Ahead of by-elections:
This party name change (and all the new-brand messaging to follow) comes not too far ahead of two upcoming provincial by-elections in 2023 in NDP strongholds.
One closely-watched by-election will be held in Langford-Juan de Fuca (on the west shore of Greater Victoria with voters in Langford, Sooke and Juan de Fuca) where former BC Premier John Horgan recently retired from provincial politics.
The other by-election will be in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant where former BC cabinet minister Melanie Mark stepped down recently as well. That’s a key metropolitan riding.
Next BC election date likely on track:
The next BC provincial election is scheduled for October 19, 2024.
Right from the get-go as Premier on November 18, 2023 Premier David Eby has said many times that he will stick to that date.
It makes political sense for Premier Eby to take as much time as he can get before the next election, for many reasons:
- time to build his profile as the 37th Premier and his leadership of the current NDP government;
- allowing adequate ramp-up for NDP candidates ahead of by-elections to replace John Horgan and Melanie Mark;
- plenty of time to shape his roster of candidates for the next election (including watching the performance of cabinet ministers in their current roles);
- time for various policy directions to settle in and presumably achieve success (e.g. housing supply, cost of living and affordability directions, building up the training capacity for a wide range of careers and trades, strengthening the health-care system, fleshing out child care space availability, climate change initiatives, reduction of the opioid overdose crisis, food sustainability improvements, etc.);
- allowing time for the BC Liberals to perhaps make some strategic errors.
===== RELATED ARTICLES by ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Refreshed housing action plan will apply BC-wide (Apr 3, 2023)
Premier Eby announces $200 million for BC food security initiatives (Mar 7, 2023)
Replacing Horgan & Mark: two key BC by-elections this year (Feb 24, 2023)
New Eby Cabinet announcement Dec 7 (Dec 7, 2022)
Eby sticking to Oct 2024 scheduled election date (Nov 18, 2022)
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends emerged in mid-2020 from a preceding series of publications by founder/editor Mary P Brooke and published by Brookeline Publishing House Inc, covering news of the Vancouver Island region, BC and national issues through a socioeconomic lens.
The publication series began with MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), then morphed to a weekly print newspaper Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), and then into the weekly PDF/print West Shore Voice News (2014-2020). The news at IslandSocialTrends.ca (2020 to present) is entirely online.
Ms Brooke has covered political news in the west shore since 2008, and now reports with the BC Press Gallery.
ARCHIVES: POLITICS | HEALTH | EDUCATION | FOOD SECURITY