Former B.C. Premier Christy Clark will not run as MP
Posted March 24, 2025 4:16 pm.
Last Updated March 24, 2025 9:51 pm.
Former B.C. Premier Christy Clark says she will not run in the federal election.
Clark took to social media Monday, saying she’s received lots of encouragement from Liberals and friends around the country, but “won’t be running as a candidate.”
In October last year, speculation grew that Clark was dropping hints about a bid for federal Liberal Party leadership.
By early January, Clark confirmed she was seriously considering running for leadership, but 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.
Clark, who has called herself a “lifelong Liberal,” said in an interview that despite publicly supporting Charest’s leadership run, she never joined the party and never received a ballot for the race.
The Conservatives then 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 Jan. 10, Clark posted a facepalm emoji to social media and said she “misspoke,” but says she would not back away from her claim that she supported Charest to stop Poilievre.
On Jan. 14, she confirmed she would not run for the federal Liberal leadership, saying “there is simply not enough time” to put together a successful campaign.
Stewart Prest, a lecturer at the University of British Columbia, told 1130 NewsRadio Clark is someone who is “always looking for ways to be involved,” at the time.
He said while she may have dropped out of the leadership race, she would learn from the experience and look for a “longer burn time” if she tried to get into federal politics again.
That prediction proved, at least temporarily, untrue Monday, with Clark’s most recent announcement via social media.
She provided no public explanation but said, “Good luck to all those who are running for office. Thank you for stepping up for Canada at a critical moment for us all.”
Canadians are set to head to the polls on April 28.
—With files from Srushti Gangdev, Charlie Carey and The Canadian Press.
