Former B.C. premier Clark says Conservatives cannot be ‘kooky’ if they want to govern

Former British Columbia premier Christy Clark says “nobody wants to elect a government that is kooky” as the B.C. Conservatives embark on a leadership contest, urging them to focus on economic issues.

Clark posted on social media on Tuesday that she would “always be grateful for the chance to serve,” in a message marking the 15th anniversary of her running for the leadership of the right-of-centre B.C. Liberals, but she says she has no interest in leading the Conservatives.

She says the Conservatives need to avoid “distractions,” citing the recent cull of ostriches at a B.C. farm.

Clark, who was B.C. premier from 2011 and 2017, says the next leader of the provincial Conservatives has to make it “look like a serious party that is going to govern seriously,” while avoiding anything that takes away from a core message of affordability, job creation and economic growth.

John Rustad resigned last week as B.C. Conservative leader after being driven out by a caucus revolt, but Clark says he “deserves a lot of credit” for building the party and leading it to become the official Opposition, just as Gordon Wilson did in the early 1990s with the B.C. Liberals before being ousted. 

Clark says Conservatives are not in a “great shape” after Rustad’s resignation but the leadership race will be a “unifying experience” for the party, which must make itself open to people who support either Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre or Prime Minister Mark Carney federally.

Clark, who supported the federal Liberal campaign against Poilievre in his previous home riding in Ottawa, says the B.C. Conservatives must be open to people with “diverse views” provided they agree on the importance of economic issues, but it’s “incumbent” on more conservative members to welcome former B.C. Liberals. 

Nobody has officially declared their candidacy in the leadership race, and Clark says she won’t take part, because there “are lots of good people out there, who could potentially take on the job of Premier.” 

Clark’s social media post on Monday marked the 15th anniversary of her run for the leadership of the B.C. Liberals, which eventually made her premier.

“I’ll always be grateful for the chance to serve, and for the people who made it possible,” she said.