B.C. Liberal Party officially becomes B.C. United

The British Columbia Liberal Party officially changed its name to B.C. United on Wednesday night in a move it says reflects the political, geographical, social and cultural diversity within the party.

"What an incredible moment," B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon said during a launch event in Surrey, B.C.

"United, we are forging a new path not just for this party but for this province. United, we are going to tackle the tough challenges and deliver results for British Columbians. And united, we are going to seize on the incredible future that is British Columbia."

During the event, Falcon criticized the ruling NDP and Premier David Eby for the provincial debt, for stifling investment and eroding prosperity. Falcon also pointed to what he called Eby's "catch and release policy" for repeat offenders and to a health-care system struggling to keep up with demand.

"Now the NDP want us to accept as British Columbians this as our new status quo," Falcon said. "They want people to just get used to things not working the way that they should, or in fact once did. But as B.C. United, we're here to say it doesn't have to stay this way."

Eby could not be reached for comment on Wednesday night.

Falcon said B.C. United will be bringing forward "innovative policies that show that, working together, we can tackle the tough issues that we face in this province."

Earlier this week, the then-Liberal party said changing its name at this point in time gives voters 18 months to become familiar with the new name before the 2024 fixed election date.

Party vice-president Caroline Elliott said Monday the name change would be going ahead, with confidence that Eby will not call an early election this year.

"David Eby, the premier, has sworn up and down he will not be calling an election sooner than the fixed election date and he will not be breaking the fixed election date law as his predecessor did," she said in an interview.

"We're going to be taking him at his word," said Elliott. "We're going to hope he keeps that promise but at the same time we're going to be ready."

Former NDP premier John Horgan called a snap election in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, winning a majority and reducing the Liberals to 28 seats in the 87-seat legislature.

Debate about name change had been ongoing

The party announced in November that 80 per cent of members who voted on the name change were in favour of the change. 

Falcon said reconsidering the party's name was a priority during his leadership campaign. He was elected leader of the party in February 2022.

Debate about the name change has been around for decades as some members worry about a perceived — but inaccurate — connection to the federal Liberal party, Elliott said.

"Many of our members are, true, federal Liberals," she said. "Some of them are federal Conservatives. Some of them, most of them probably, are no federal affiliation whatsoever."

The B.C. United name will represent the party's common purpose of improving people's lives, said Elliott.

The B.C. Liberals have traditionally been a centre-right coalition, rising to Opposition in the early 1990s and forming government for 16 years starting in 2001.

Elliott said the name change has party members anticipating new strength and renewal for the party.

"I think it is a big moment in our history," she said. "Really, it's because we've all sort of agreed that what's important to us is coming together for the purpose we share, and that's building a bright future for B.C."

Name change risks

On CBC's The Early Edition on Tuesday, Vancouver-based political scientist Stewart Prest said when it comes to identity, the party is taking a certain degree of risk in changing its name.

"They have a long runway, it seems like, before the election expected in 2024 to really make clear the connection in voters' minds that the B.C. United party is going to be the continuation of that B.C. Liberal brand," Prest said.

"But yeah, it's certainly a risk. This [Liberal name] is something that worked quite well for the party. It was the dominant party of the early 2000s, and so now they are really trying to show that they're turning a page on that history and moving in a new direction."

Prest said the switch to B.C. United may eliminate some confusion between the federal Liberals and provincial Liberals. But he also pointed out "a certain irony" about the name change.

"The B.C. NDP has done well by picking up some of those centrist voters — those voters who might be voting Liberal federally but are now taking a long look and casting a ballot for the B.C. NDP," Prest said.

"So while the new name may eliminate some of the confusion, they are, in a sense, moving away from the name that is associated with that centre part of the political spectrum that the B.C. Liberals or the B.C. United party will need to recapture if they are to form government again."

Prest said B.C. United will have to show it is maintaining its link to the centre for the rebranding to be successful.

"It's going to have to be accompanied by a really clear statement of what this party stands for, and we will judge the success or the failure of the rebranding on the accompanying policies and how they resonate with British Columbians."