BC Liberal caucus chooses Shirley Bond as interim leader

Surrey South MLA Stephanie Cadieux has been chosen as the caucus chair.

MLAs Mike Bernier, Peter Milobar and Ben Stewart were also under consideration as interim leader.

Former leader Andrew Wilkinson originally intended on staying in his position until a permanent leader was chosen, but there was resistance from some within the Liberal caucus about the idea. Wilkinson led the party to its worst performance since the 1991 election, winning just 28 seats.

On Saturday, Wilkinson formally stepped down as leader and will continue to serve as an MLA.

“It is now time for me to leave the role of opposition leader, as the voters of British Columbia have made their preference clear,” Wilkinson wrote on Facebook.

“In doing so, I welcome the selection of an interim leader from our caucus and will fully support her or him as our caucus prepares to act as the Official Opposition once again.”

The BC Liberals have not announced the rules for an upcoming leadership race to find a permanent leader. Unlike the interim, the permanent leader does not have to come from within the caucus.

Todd Stone, Michael Lee, Kevin Falcon, Jas Johal and Ellis Ross have all been rumoured to be interested in the full-time job.

“Our party, the interim leader, and our members have a lot of work to do. We need to rebuild and renew – and that starts with tough conversations and sincere reflections,” Wilkinson wrote.

“I know I’ve had many of those myself in recent weeks and I know there are many more to come for all of us as we work toward a leadership race that will define our new leader, and our positions and profile heading into the next election. There are still many conversations to have about how we can do better.”

by Richard Zussman, Global BC

BC Liberal caucus chooses Shirley Bond as interim leader

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