British Columbia’s Liberal Party is looking at renaming itself — with an eye to rebranding before the next election in 2024.
Delegates at the party’s convention in Penticton on Saturday voted to start consultations on potentially changing the party name, with a vote to come before the end of the year.
It was noted the process needs to move quickly if a new name is to become established before the provincial election in two years.
In a speech on Saturday, B.C. Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon said his leadership campaign was built on “renewing, rebuilding and re-energizing this party.”
“One of the commitments that I made was to explore a name change,” he said. “The vast majority of the public do not identify with political labels.
“I predict and believe they are going to be voting on the power of our ideas.”
The B.C. Liberals are not affiliated with the federal Liberal Party and have described themselves as a “made-in-B.C. free enterprise coalition.”
During a plenary on the name change, members had one minute to address whether they were for or against a rebrand.
The speakers line for the yes side was significantly longer, with members speaking on the need for a refresh and wanting to separate themselves from being “lumped in” with the federal Liberal Party.
“We’re not all liberals and we’re not all conservative,” one member said. “No matter how you identify in federal politics, let’s stop wearing the federal policies. Let’s find a name that represents us in this room alone, and we can try to truly move on to the next election.”
Another cited confusion among voters about whether the federal and provincial parties are related. “As a provincial party, we need to separate ourselves and renew ourselves with a provincial mandate, not a federal mandate.”
A supporter of keeping the Liberal name argued that the party’s problem has never been with its name, but with its policies, saying the name change will be a distraction.
About 800 B.C. Liberal members gathered at a convention in Penticton this weekend to welcome Falcon, who won the leadership race in February, and map strategy ahead of the 2024 election.
In a statement, Falcon said the party’s name “must be one that reflects a diverse and inclusive big-tent coalition.”
The B.C. Liberals will immediately begin a wider consultation process before holding a vote of the entire party membership before the end of the year.
A party executive will form a name change committee with a mandate to set the final timelines and consultation process.
— With a file from Casey Richardson, Castanet
