More than one thousand people have registered for the BC Liberal convention now underway in Whistler.
Party Vice-President Bill Belsey fired up the troops this morning telling them the Liberals have a chance to deliver a devastating blow to the NDP in next May’s election.
“believing in our coalition…and with the determination of our leader Premier Christy Clark, we will win…we will win…we will absolutely win the next election.”
Meanwhile, Clark says the BC Liberal tent is wide open.
Clark told those at the convention today the party wants their ideas on building BC’s economy.
“this is your chance to make your voice heard, to make that difference in creating the future for British Columbia. Help us we welcome your help we invite your help we want it, we are better with it.”
While the party says today’s so-called “Free Enterprise Party” was open to non-Liberals, the vast majority of attendees are party members.
Clark took a few shots at the NDP.
She said while her party welcomes a diversity of views, the opposition stifles dissent and hides its true plans.
“when you compare us to the other guys and they all walk in lock step toward a single vision or goal which they won’t really tell us about, but nonetheless they’re walking in lockstep toward it, and any deviation from that, any opinion that might be different will be punished, you compare that with who we are in the BC Liberal Party, as a coalition.”
But NDP observer Maurine Karagianis says Clark would do better to follow Adrian Dix’s lead and stop demonizing the opposition.
One of the main themes at the convention is don’t split the “free enterprise” vote…
And that message was driven home in a video-taped message from former BC Reform Party Leader Jack Weisgerber, who warned against a repeat of the 1996 election.
“we split the free enterprise vote and our economy paid the price. We can’t make that same mistake again. We need to rally round the BC Liberal coalition just like we did in 2001, because so much progress has been made, and there’s so much opportunity to come.”
The NDP beat the Liberals in 1996 after the BC Reform Party drew off some of the right wing vote.
Former Conservative senator Gerry St. Germain sounded an old refrain.
“the socialist hordes my friends are at the gates..we gotta keep these socialists outside the gates and show them where they belong because every time they enter into the gates, they take us into a have-not situation.”
St. Germain said the only way to keep the so-called socialist hordes on the outside is to re-elect the BC Liberals.
NDP House Leader John Horgan is observing the convention –and takes exception to St. Germain’s comments.
“using language to divide people is not the solution to the challenges of our time….this socialism versus free enterprise business died with the Berlin Wall a long, long time ago, and I think if the Liberals contemporized their comments on the opposition, they’d have a bit more credibility.”
Horgan says the Liberals’ ideas are out of touch.
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