B.C. Liberals announce B.C. United as top choice for party name change
The proposed new name was the top choice of party members out of 2,000 submissions
The British Columbia Liberal Party could soon have a new name.
The party says the proposed new name, B.C. United, has been selected after a three-month membership consultation period in which more than 2,000 suggestions were submitted.
A voting process will be announced in the coming weeks, and members will have the opportunity to vote on the new name by the end of this year, according to a statement from the party.
The party says more than two-thirds of delegates who attended last June's convention in Penticton voted in favour of considering a new name.
B.C. Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon made consideration of a name change one of his leadership campaign promises earlier this year.
The party says B.C. United reflects a fresh alternative that expresses a commitment to unity across a broad coalition of members while highlighting the province's name.
The B.C. Liberals have always billed themselves as a free enterprise coalition of federal Liberals and Conservatives, but some party members believe the name has turned away conservative-leaning voters.
Voter confusion
The centre-right party has no modern-day affiliation with the Liberal Party of Canada. However, the shared name has been an ongoing point of confusion, especially during election years.
Veteran provincial Liberal Colin Hansen suggested a name change over a decade ago, saying the party needed new branding.
"I think every time we go through an election campaign, on the doorsteps, we get people who are confused with the fact there is a Liberal Party of Canada, and there is a B.C. party, and the two organizations are not connected at all," said Hanson in 2011.
The history of the Liberals' name in B.C. stretches back to 1903, when the B.C. Legislature first recognized political parties.
Originally an arm of the national Liberal Party, those ties were severed in 1987 when then-Capilano College instructor Gordon Wilson took over the Liberal Party of British Columbia and began a rebuilding program.
The B.C. Liberals became the dominant centre-right party in the province in 1991 when the Social Credit Party collapsed under the weight of repeated scandals after nearly four decades in power.
In 1993 after an extramarital affair between Wilson and Liberal MLA Judy Tyabji came to light, the party forced a leadership race in which Wilson was dumped for former Vancouver mayor Gordon Campbell.
with files from Mike Laanela, Canadian Press