Campbell should quit, says ex-Liberal MLA

Former B.C. cabinet minister Blair Lekstrom says Premier Gordon Campbell needs to tell British Columbians he's retiring from politics, and the sooner he does so the better.

Campbell has been an excellent premier for more than nine years, but his decision to introduce the Harmonized Sales Tax this year has been a failure, Lekstrom said Tuesday.

Lekstrom, who quit the Liberals last spring over the HST to sit as an independent, said Campbell should signal within weeks he will retire after guiding the Liberals to three consecutive election wins.

Former Liberal MLA Sheila Orr agreed with Lekstrom.

"I don't think he needs to resign," said Orr. "I think that he should seriously consider retiring, but he always said he would."

Another Liberal MLA stepped up to defend his boss Tuesday, although with conditions.

Terry Lake said Liberal Party members should wait until at least November at the party's convention to start any discussions about Campbell's future.

Campbell has shown leadership throughout his years as premier and talk about his possible retirement is somewhat premature, Lake said.

Publicly, Campbell has said he intends to lead the Liberals into another election.

But Mike Geoghegan, a Victoria political consultant and Liberal supporter, said Campbell cannot win.

"People will hold their nose and vote for [Opposition Leader] Carole James and vote for the NDP," said Geoghegan. "Not because they're inspired by her, but just simply because if Gordon Campbell won't step down this term, if he won't resign with dignity, they'll turf him out of office."

Former Williams Lake mayor Scott Nelson said on the weekend that the HST has angered many British Columbians to the point where the Liberals under Campbell face defeat in the coming 2013 provincial election.

Last week, internal documents showed senior bureaucrats in Victoria and Ottawa were discussing the HST months before the May 2009 provincial election.

Campbell and B.C. Finance Minister Colin Hansen have consistently said the government itself did not contemplate the HST until after the election.