BC United considers name reminder on fall ballot

British Columbia’s Opposition BC United is looking to put its erstwhile Liberal sanction connected nan upcoming autumn provincial predetermination ballot aft soul polling shows 30 per cent of group didn’t cognize nan statement was renamed, says a statement director.

The statement is preparing to formally use to Elections BC to person a building acknowledging that it was formally known arsenic nan B.C. Liberals included connected nan BC United ballot for nan Oct. 19 election, Adam Wilson, nan party’s communications director, said Wednesday successful an interview.

BC United changed its sanction successful April 2023 successful a rank ballot aft Leader Kevin Falcon said a alteration would substance statement renewal and extremity long-standing concerns astir links to nan national Liberals by its Conservative supporters.

The erstwhile B.C. Liberal Party was not affiliated pinch nan national Liberals aliases Conservatives.

“We conducted a canvass of British Columbians complete nan past week and we recovered that 30 per cent of nan respondents did not cognize that nan B.C. Liberal Party had go BC United,” said Wilson. “So, that’s wherever nan alteration is stemming from.”

Wilson said he would not merchandise nan complete polling data.

Falcon said nan statement hasn’t officially applied to make nan ballot sanction change, but is looking to move that measurement to easiness elector disorder astir governmental parties successful B.C.

The disorder besides involves voters who mistakenly judge nan B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad are representatives of nan national Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre, he said successful an question and reply from Kelowna.

“It’s a move driven by information because we’ve been surveying and erstwhile we’re retired location surveying nan public, 1 of nan things we’re uncovering is half nan nationalist deliberation John Rustad’s statement is Pierre Poilievre’s statement and past we’ve sewage 30 per cent of nan nationalist that are B.C. Liberal supporters who don’t recognize we’re called BC United.”

Falcon said he still believes that changing nan sanction from B.C. Liberals to BC United was nan correct point to do, but nan statement has to make judge voters cognize “BC United is nan provincial Liberal authorities that governed nan state very successfully for 16 years.”

Wilson said BC United, which has yet to formally use to Elections BC to see nan Liberal sanction connected nan ballot, besides believes voters whitethorn request a reminder of nan party’s caller past.

“We still person almost one-third of British Columbians unaware that nan statement that was nan B.C. Liberal Party, nan statement that built nan Sea-to-Sky Highway, built nan William R. Bennett Bridge, built nan Port Mann Bridge, that they’ve changed their sanction to go BC United,” said Wilson.

Trending Now

Elections BC said successful a connection it has yet to person a general petition from BC United to alteration really its sanction is listed connected nan ballot.

The connection said Elections BC, nan independent, non-partisan agency of nan legislature responsible for administering electoral processes successful B.C., will reappraisal general applications to alteration ballot names nether Election Act requirements.

The Election Act does not specifically prohibit a statement from listing its erstwhile sanction connected a ballot, said nan statement.

But Wesley MacInnis, an Elections BC communications adviser, said successful a connection nan agency precocious rejected an exertion by an individual wanting to registry a statement pinch nan sanction BC Liberals.

“We informed them that this exertion would beryllium rejected because nan Election Act prohibits nan registration of a statement sanction that is apt to beryllium confused pinch different statement presently registered aliases that was registered astatine immoderate clip during nan erstwhile 10 years,” said MacInnis. “The BC United Party presently has nan sanction BC Liberal Party registered arsenic 1 of its different names.”

Surrey resident Vikram Bajwa, who launched a grounded B.C. Supreme Court situation successful February 2022 to hold announcing nan victor of nan erstwhile B.C. Liberal Party activity ballot by 15 days complete statement audit consequence concerns, said successful an email he applied to registry nan BC Liberals sanction pinch Elections BC but was rejected.

Wilson said including nan erstwhile Liberal sanction connected nan autumn ballot whitethorn thief voters make their prime and could summation existent polling numbers, which show BC United good down nan New Democrats and B.C. Conservatives.

Former Liberal furniture curate Mary Polak said nan party’s name-change considerations indicates heavy concerns astir nan coming election.

“Clearly, they’re worried astir it,” she said. “Their latest reasoning astir asking Elections BC is, I guess, what we would telephone a benignant of a Prince move isn’t it?”

Prince, nan precocious world-renowned musician, changed his sanction to a awesome successful nan 1990s during a conflict pinch his grounds institution and became known arsenic “the creator formerly known arsenic Prince.”

This study by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2024.