IT’S a bit too early to say when provincial Liberals in Skeena will start looking for someone to run in the next provincial election now rumoured for early this fall.
While there are people showing interest in becoming a candidate for the Liberal nomination, the machinery to select someone is not yet in place, says Liberal constituency association president Donny van Dyk.
“The first thing that needs to happen is for the Premier to appoint an election readiness chairman and that hasn’t happened yet,” said van Dyk. “Even if someone wanted to run, we don’t even have the nomination forms approved yet.”
Suggestions of a provincial election this year rose when Liberals chose Christy Clark to become their leader. She became premier automatically because the Liberals have the most seats in the provincial legislature.
Clark not only replaced Gordon Campbell but she is running in his old Vancouver – Point Grey riding in a byelection. Voting is today. And with the future of the HST to be decided via a mail referendum next month, the way is now clear for a fall election.
“Early fall could be the time. After that comes the local elections [in November],” said van Dyk.
In the meantime, local provincial Liberals are in Penticton this week for a policy convention postponed from last fall when Gordon Campbell unexpectedly said he was stepping down.
Local Liberals are taking two resolutions to Penticton – one advocating a railway connection through the northwestern portion of the province so as to more efficiently transport resources and material and the other promoting the construction of the Northwest Transmission Line north up Hwy37 North.
With construction of the power line expected to start this year, van Dyk described the latter resolution as one more intended to have people feel good about the development.
New Democrat Robin Austin defeated Liberal Roger Harris to win Skeena in 2005 and retained the seat in the 2009 provincial election when he defeated van Dyk.