Opinion: BC Liberals are not afraid of criticism or change

Nov 29 2022, 8:38 pm

Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by Karin Kirkpatrick, the BC Liberals’ MLA for the riding of West Vancouver-Capilano. This is a rebuttal to an op-ed by BC NDP MLA Katrina Chen.


I’m pleased to have the opportunity to respond to MLA Katrina Chen’s inaccurate musings last week on our party’s forthcoming name change to BC United.

As a proud, card-carrying member of the federal Liberal Party and a provincial BC Liberal MLA since 2020, let me tell you why our party is making this change and why I enthusiastically support it.

Since its inception, the BC Liberal Party has been a welcoming coalition for anyone who shares our commitment to a strong, private-sector economy overseen by a responsible and accountable government.

A coalition that believes in accessible and functional healthcare, public safety, environmental sustainability, and compassionate care for our most vulnerable.

Unlike Ms. Chen and the BC NDP, who demand permanent dual membership in the provincial and federal NDP, we do not dictate who you should support politically outside of our free-enterprise provincial family. You can make that decision for yourself.

We believe in the diversity of ideas, thoughts, and views on how to keep making BC one of the best places in the world to live, grow, and thrive.

I want to be clear — the debate about our party’s name is not a new one; it’s been thoughtfully discussed at length for the past 20 years.

Some members have strong views from their experiences with brand confusion on the doorsteps during elections. Others wonder if the name is inclusive enough of our big tent. However, most don’t care and just want to have a government capable of delivering the basic services they’ve been denied over the past few years under the BC NDP.

Our leader Kevin Falcon knows this, listened to members, and gave them an opportunity to have their say in a broad consultation and membership-wide vote. The vote to change the name had a resounding 80% approval rate, supported by every region in the province.

I realize this type of grassroots, member-driven democracy-in-action frightens the BC NDP.

This is a party that coronated their only two leaders since taking government and expelled Anjali Appadurai, a young woman, former BC NDP candidate and climate activist who dared criticize the BC NDP’s inaction and hypocrisy in the tainted leadership race that coronated Premier David Eby because it looked like she might win and upend their status-quo.

In contrast, the BC Liberals are not afraid of criticism or change. I see the rebrand to BC United as evidence of that. We have heard the feedback from our members and the public on how we can do things differently, and I see this name change as just one part of that important overall renewal.

We have a dynamic new leader. We are recruiting passionate, diverse candidates. Most importantly, we are going to present innovative, outcomes-based policies that address the challenges British Columbians care about.

A party of members with diverse backgrounds and perspectives is better and stronger. The party’s name will be one that reflects this diverse and inclusive big-tent coalition.

Instead of focusing on invented BC NDP falsehoods or partisan labels, we’re going to build and expand our BC-based movement that fights to make life better for hardworking British Columbians who keep falling further and further behind under the BC NDP.

We’ve long been a big-tent group, united together in our common vision for BC. No matter who you are, where you came from, who you love or what god you pray to, if you believe in fighting for a stronger, better BC, you’ll be welcome in the BC United tent.

We’d love to have you join us.

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