Now that Kevin Falcon has been elected leader of the B.C. Liberal Party, the easy part is over. As a former deputy premier and finance minister under Christy Clark, Falcon had by far the most name recognition among the seven candidates. He was always a favourite for the job.
His task now is to rebuild the party’s image after the drubbing it took in the 2020 election. And that’s the difficult part.
Going into that campaign, the Liberals and NDP were tied with 41 seats each. When the ballots were counted, the Liberals had lost 13 seats, taking just 34 per cent of the vote.
The general perception was that the party had lost contact with middle-of-the-road voters, particularly in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. It is Falcon’s job to re-establish contact with this key constituency.
No simple task. Under Clark, and before her Gordon Campbell, the Liberals had drifted well to the right. This was perhaps understandable, since they were replacing an NDP administration that had moved as far in the opposite direction.
But how can a party that is viewed as overly close to big business, while possessing little credibility on such high-profile issues as global warming and clean energy, move back to the centre?
It’s unlikely the Liberals could shed entirely their discomfort with progressive, activist causes.
And even if they could, the NDP and Green parties own this territory, and will always be more credible on such matters.
A better strategy might be to focus instead on the weak points that burden their opponents.
The Greens are vulnerable to the charge that they are a tax-and-spend party. The Liberals can offer a credible alternative by urging fiscal constraint, something they pursued when last in office.
The NDP are vulnerable to the charge that they over-rely on the power of government to solve society’s problems. In the wake of the COVID outbreak, Falcon can argue that the vast range of challenges that lie ahead will require a broader mobilization of resources than government alone can provide.
And here the Liberals’ ties to big business can be made an asset. Charting a path forward will require the power to innovate and react quickly to changing circumstances.
These qualities are more often found in the private sector than in government.
Falcon has some credibility here. His first cabinet appointment was as minister of state for deregulation.
Yet Falcon’s history while in office isn’t necessarily a strong point. As a cabinet minister he developed a reputation for being edgy and combative. He was not an easy man to work with.
In that respect he risks following in the footsteps of Clark, whose often bristling manner eventually brought her down. And the danger here is all the greater because his opponent, John Horgan, radiates a friendly and smiling personality.
It does appear Falcon recognizes his vulnerability here. He’s named child care, housing and the opioid crisis as his top priorities.
He has also pledged to embrace ethnic diversity and run a government that is open to people of all genders, faiths and backgrounds.
Whether this is a genuine commitment, or merely a counsel of necessity, remains to be seen. And how far he can carry his caucus along this road is also uncertain.
What can be said is that come the next provincial election in 2024, the sitting NDP government will have held office for seven years. That will give Falcon plenty of targets to aim at.
That he has the mental toughness to mount an energetic campaign is evident. The question will be: Can he restrain his combative nature and present a reassuring face to voters?
More so than is normally the case, the personality of the party leaders could be the deciding factor in the next election.
