Former B.C. premier Christy Clark might be a long shot to become the leader of the federal Liberal Party, but her former colleagues say no one should underestimate her political abilities.
They believe her outsider status, as well as her history of uniting a fractured caucus, may give her a legitimate shot at becoming Canada’s next prime minister, after Justin Trudeau on Monday announced his intention to resign when a new leader is chosen.
The National Post reported Thursday that in the leadership race and was just waiting for the rules of the race to be finalized.
On Thursday, the Liberal Party of Canada announced the race to choose the next leader will conclude on March 9, and contenders have until Jan. 23 to declare their candidacy and will have to pay a $350,000 entry fee to participate.
Most polls have Clark behind already established cabinet ministers such as ex-finance minister Chrystia Freeland, Transportation Minister Anita Anand, and Innovation and Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly bowed out of the race on Friday, saying she doesn’t want to step away from her role at this “crucial time in the Canada-U.S. relationship.”
Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney has also been much-touted as an outsider candidate, while current Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc was viewed as a potential front-runner until he announced Tuesday he wouldn’t be putting his name forward.
“I think [Clark] certainly has the potential to be a dark horse in the race,” said Stephen Smart, general manager of Hill & Knowlton Western Canada and a former press secretary to Clark.
“I really think those who might dismiss her in this race out of the gate really do so at their own peril. She builds great teams around her. She has the potential to really get people on board. She has been a member of the Liberal Party of Canada for a very long time.”
While remembered in her home province as the leader of a party — the B.C. Liberals — that represented a coalition of federal Liberals and Conservatives, Clark has been consistent about where her loyalty lies when it comes to the federal stage.
She was a member of the Young Liberals during her time at Simon Fraser University in the 1980s. Her father, Jim, had run provincially three times for the party when it was still connected to the federal brand.
His daughter later joined with Gordon Wilson and others to give the provincial Liberals their independence in the lead-up to the 1991 election, but has spoken about her continuing affinity for the federal party often in the decades since.
Clark also served as a staffer in the Jean Chretien administration, where she worked beside LeBlanc. The pair have remained close friends in the years since.
Mike Bernier, former B.C. Liberal MLA for Peace River South, says one of the main strengths Clark brings to the table is her charisma and ability to bring people together.
That will be important if she steps in as the new leader of a deeply divided federal Liberal caucus, a situation similar to the one she inherited when taking over from Gordon Campbell as leader of the provincial government in 2011.
“Christy has more charisma [than] almost anybody I’ve ever met — she has an ability when she walks in the room, you can just feel that aura,” said Bernier.
“Others might come in with a policy or a business background. Christy puts the smart people around her, meaning she doesn’t have to be the person with all of those skill sets. Her idea is just to get people excited, how to get people to be part of something.”
Bernier says Clark’s more conservative credentials from her time in politics could help her, as many people in Conservative ridings such as his have favourable opinions of her due to her focus on blue-collar issues such as resource development while serving as premier.
Another point in her favour is her frequent criticism of Trudeau, over issues ranging from his purchase of the Trans-Mountain Pipeline in 2018 to his refusal to resign this summer following a defeat in the Toronto-St. Paul’s byelection.
She was also critical of his handling of the 2022 truckers’ convoy in Ottawa, saying it sent the implicit message: “If you don’t agree with me … you’re a bad person, and if you do agree with me, you’re a good person.’”
“I never thought there would be a prime minister in this country who would be deciding that the things that 91原创s say, as long as it’s not hate speech, are unacceptable,” she said after endorsing Jean Charest for federal Conservative leader.
Those close to Clark are divided on whether a short or long race would be more beneficial to her. While a short race would limit the amount of money she would have to spend, a longer race would give her more time to sign up new members to support her.
The former premier’s longtime finance minister, Mike de Jong, said the problem for Clark if she wins is that she would be in charge of a party that is supremely unpopular and is expected to get wiped out by the federal Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre.
De Jong, who will be running for the Tories, likened the Liberal leadership race to “replacing the captain of the Titanic 20 minutes after it’s struck the iceberg.”
“The ship is sinking and any member of the crew that hasn’t already jumped overboard, along with the new captain (whoever that is), will be held responsible for the mess they’ve created,” said de Jong, while acknowledging he would never “underestimate Christy Clark’s political abilities.”
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, who also served as a cabinet minister in Clark’s government, said that, despite his respect for his former boss, he will be supporting Poilievre in the upcoming election.
“I enjoyed my time working with Christy. I have a lot of respect for her as premier. If she’s going to go after the leadership of the federal Liberal party, I’m really not gonna have much to say about that,” Rustad said.
“My perspective, though, is that we need significant political change. We need to bring some common sense back to this country. We need to get rid of things like the carbon tax. And so I only see one path forward with that, and that is with the current federal Conservative party.”
