The suspension of BC United91裸聊视频檚 election campaign left centrist voters in British Columbia 91裸聊视频渙rphaned,91裸聊视频� and a new provincial party under the Liberal brand is needed, says former federal cabinet minister Herb Dhaliwal.
Dhaliwal, who served in the House of Commons for more than a decade in multiple Liberal government cabinet positions, said Tuesday that he wants to revive a liberal party for those left politically homeless after the BC United collapse in favour of the BC Conservatives.
91裸聊视频淭here are lots of people, they91裸聊视频檙e not interested in voting for either, so they feel betrayed and they feel orphaned by what91裸聊视频檚 happened,91裸聊视频� Dhaliwal said Tuesday, referring to the BC Conservatives and the BC United Party.
He said he wants to build a new party for moderate and centrist voters under the name 91裸聊视频淣ew Liberal Party of BC91裸聊视频� in time for the election on Oct. 19, but Elections BC has rejected the name due to its potential to confuse voters.
Dhaliwal said in a written statement released Tuesday that the former BC Liberal Party that rebranded as BC United was doomed by a 91裸聊视频渂ackroom deal91裸聊视频� with the BC Conservative Party, leaving moderate voters without a 91裸聊视频減referred political choice on the ballot.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚 personally don91裸聊视频檛 think it91裸聊视频檚 good for British Columbia to have this, you know, extreme right and left,91裸聊视频� he said in an interview. 91裸聊视频淭his polarization of politics is not good for British Columbia or for the country.91裸聊视频�
Dhaliwal, who left his Vancouver-area riding in 2004, said Leader Kevin Falcon91裸聊视频檚 suspension of the BC United campaign 91裸聊视频渂etrayed91裸聊视频� supporters, and the province risks returning to a 91裸聊视频渄ysfunctional91裸聊视频� state of 91裸聊视频減olarizing right versus left combat.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淢any times people have asked me to come back into politics and I91裸聊视频檝e said, No,91裸聊视频� Dhaliwal said. 91裸聊视频淏ut in this situation, where I think we91裸聊视频檙e going in really a wrong direction, I felt it was necessary for someone to try to do something about it.91裸聊视频�
Dhaliwal said he hopes Elections BC will allow a new party under the name 91裸聊视频淣ew Liberal Party of BC91裸聊视频� because Kevin Falcon91裸聊视频檚 BC United Party dissociated from the 91裸聊视频淟iberal91裸聊视频� brand when it changed its name.
Dhaliwal, through lawyer Joven Narwal, has asked Elections BC to reconsider the rejection of the name.
In a letter to the agency dated Sept. 13, Narwal told elections officials that adding 91裸聊视频渘ot associated with BC United91裸聊视频� or a similar phrase to the ballot could avoid 91裸聊视频渁ny conceivable confusion in the minds of voters.91裸聊视频�
Elections BC communications director Andrew Watson said Tuesday that the provincial Elections Act prohibits parties from registering if the chief electoral officer believes 91裸聊视频渋ts name is likely to be confused with a currently registered political party, a party that has a registration application currently pending, or a party that was registered at any time during the past 10 years.91裸聊视频�
Watson said the bracketed phrases proposed by those seeking to register the 91裸聊视频淣ew Liberal Party of BC91裸聊视频� to avoid confusion with BC United and the former BC Liberal Party still don91裸聊视频檛 make the cut.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 really, really important that voters have no doubt about which party they91裸聊视频檙e voting for when they go to mark a ballot and that there91裸聊视频檚 no possibility for voter confusion,91裸聊视频� Watson said. 91裸聊视频淭hese rules have been in place for a long time in B.C. elections.91裸聊视频�
Dhaliwal said he91裸聊视频檚 hoping the party name issue can be resolved with the election looming in just over a month.
He declined to reveal who he would want to lead the new party, saying it would be 91裸聊视频減remature91裸聊视频� as they await word from Elections BC.
91裸聊视频淲e think this is best for British Columbia,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 why we91裸聊视频檙e making an effort. You know, it91裸聊视频檚 better to try to do something then later on regret, why didn91裸聊视频檛 we do anything about it? Why didn91裸聊视频檛 we try it? We91裸聊视频檙e trying.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檒l see what happens. If it works, it works. If it doesn91裸聊视频檛, well, that91裸聊视频檚 part of life,91裸聊视频� he said.
