Former B.C. premier Christy Clark will not run for Liberal leadership
Posted January 14, 2025 10:28 am.
Last Updated January 14, 2025 1:12 pm.
Former B.C. premier Christy Clark confirmed on Tuesday that she will not run for the federal Liberal leadership.
In a statement, Clark said, “There is simply not enough time” to put together a successful campaign.
“We’ve put together an amazing team on very short notice. We have hundreds of organizers from every province and territory,” she said. “I’ve been deeply honoured to work with so many incredibly talented people who believe in me, in our party and in our country.”
“I know it’s important for women and Westerners – those most likely to find themselves outside the corridors of power in Ottawa – to consider putting their names forward.
“But, friends, I have made the difficult decision to step back,” she said.
Clark noted there was not enough time to connect with Francophone Canadians “in their language. I have worked hard at improving my French but it’s not where it needs to be, today.”
Clark does not believe the timing of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation as party leader, and eventually prime minister, leaves time for the Liberal Party to renew itself.
“Our Party must still find a way to generate new momentum and energy. To open itself up to a broader group of Canadians who have felt left out, but who can’t abide the snarling, sneering politics of Pierre Poilievre or the unrealistic approach of the NDP,” she stated.
“We must redefine the Liberal Party as a big tent Party again – one that will fight for jobs, workers, investment, and growth.”
Her confirmation comes just days after claiming she “misspoke” when she said she was never a Conservative Party member.
Clark told CBC Radio’s The House that she was “very seriously” considering a leadership bid, but expressed disappointment with the short timeline for the race.
She also denied she voted for former Quebec premier Jean Charest in his bid to become Conservative leader in 2022, a race that was won by Pierre Poilievre.
The Conservatives provided a screen grab of their electronic records, showing Clark was an active member of the party from June 2, 2022, until June 30, 2023.
On social media late Friday, Clark posted a facepalm emoji and said she “misspoke,” but says she’s not backing away from her claim that she supported Charest to stop Poilievre.
“I have always been clear that I supported Jean Charest to stop Pierre Poilievre. He’s the most divisive politician we’ve seen in years,” Clark said in a post on X.
In her statement on Tuesday, Clark continued her drive against Poilievre.
“I won’t be in this leadership race but I won’t stop fighting. Pierre Poilievre would rather attack Canadians than call out Donald Trump. He’s a bully when he’s here at home and a pathetic pushover for the MAGA Republicans. We don’t need Governor Poilievre. We need the Liberal Party at the top of its game,” she stated.
The Liberal Party will name its new leader on March 9 to replace Trudeau.
Clark was always facing an ‘uphill climb’: UBC lecturer
Clark’s announcement on Tuesday came as no surprise to one political science expert.
Stewart Prest, a lecturer at the University of British Columbia, told 1130 NewsRadio that Clark was “always facing a steep uphill climb as a relative outsider … to win the leadership.”
“She doesn’t have a strong following in caucus, so it would have really been a case that she is a relative outsider, and that’s what the party needs,” Prest explained.
Clark’s chances were severely damaged when she tried to hide the fact that she was a member of the Conservatives and a supporter of Erin O’Toole, he added.
“I wasn’t surprised that [she was a member]. I was surprised she tried to hide it, though,” Prest said. “I think her one chance was to really make the case that the Liberal Party has really lost touch with an important segment of voters, those who are perhaps choosing between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party — somebody who would be interested in a figure like Erin O’Toole in the Conservative Party, or perhaps a Paul Martin-like or Christy Clark-like figure within the Liberal Party.”
“By hiding the fact that she spent some time with the Conservative Party, I think that actually obscured the argument she needed to make,” Prest stated, adding that Clark could have won back some votes from Liberal-turned-Conservative voters.
“By hiding the fact, she eliminated any ability to make that case effectively or to position herself as a kind of truth-teller, a speaker of hard truths. Rather, she seems to every other politician talking out of both sides of her mouth.”
Prest described Clark as someone who is “always looking for ways to be involved,” and while she may have dropped out of this particular race, she will learn from the experience and will look for a “longer burn time” if she tries to get into federal politics again.
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