Tuesday January 14, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 9:07 am | Updated 10:12 am]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Citing not enough time to launch a campaign and her insufficiency with the French language, former BC Premier Christy Clark is out of the federal Liberal leadership race.
Clark made the announcement today, primarily to supporters.
Her statement included partisan jibes against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. It’s unclear if she had any position on dealing with Canada-US relations.
Her campaign did get off to a bumpy start with how she tried to wriggle out of her support for a Conservative candidate (Jean Cherest) in the last Conservative leadership race. She may have also been surprised at how much of her political past was raised right to the surface; people don’t forget.
Clark was a BC Liberal premier during March 14, 2011 to July 18, 2017. Although her party won the most seats, in June 2017 the BC Lieutenant Governor asked Clark to step down and the BC NDP (supported by the BC Greens) formed a progressive government that has steered BC in new directions.
Timeline:
The short timeline to declare candidacy and mount a campaign is being effective in weeding out political opportunism.
Would-be federal Liberal candidates have a January 23 deadline to confirm their interest. The deadline to become a Liberal Party member is January 27. Members will choose their next leader on March 9. That person will automatically become the next prime minister of Canada.
Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on January 6 that he will resign once a new Liberal leader is chosen.
Other contenders:
The two most prominent contenders at this point are people who have the time, space and resource to prepare a campaign — Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland. Carney appeared on a late-night TV show last night with a soft-launch of his campaign — starting off with a bit of star quality pizzazz.
Other possible contenders still include Karina Gould and Jonathan Wilkinson.
Today Fracois-Phillipe Champagne has announced he will not run for leader at this time.
===== RELATED:
- Scrutiny needed as to early declaration of ‘top three’ Liberal leadership candidates (January 12, 2025)
- Former B.C. premier says she ‘misspoke’ when claiming she was never a Conservative (CTV / January 11, 2025)
- Liberals to produce new prime minister by March 9 (January 9, 2025)
- Poilievre shifts Trudeau-taunts to all potential leadership Liberal candidates (January 9, 2025)
- BC can do better than Ms Clark for Liberal leadership (January 8, 2025)
- Parliament on pause as Liberals choose new leader (January 6, 2025)
- This is a radically transformed Canada says Alistair MacGregor MP (December 18, 2024)
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