The BC Liberals defied the pundits, the pollsters, and even the odds themselves to win another majority government.
Liberals won their fourth consecutive majority government by taking 50 seats. NDP got 33, while BC Greens got one and one was won by an independent in South Delta.
The only sour point for BC Liberals was the fact that Christy Clark lost in her own riding of Vancouver-Point Grey.
“That was easy!” quipped Leader Christy Clark to open her party acceptance speech.
She went on to talk about being “humbled” by the win and then came back to the values passed down to her by her late father, who would have turned 85 on Election Day.
“The values include leaving this province better than we found it, values that include making sure that we look after those who loved us the way that they looked after us.”
She told the victory rally in Vancouver that the voters have presented the Liberals with a “tremendous obligation” and pledged that the party will honour the responsibility they’ve been given.
Clark also thanked all of the candidates from all of the parties.
“In every democratic process, it requires all kinds of people, from all different walks of life and all different communities, to decide that they want to step up and make a difference. Putting your name on a ballot isn’t something that anyone takes lightly.”
She also admitted she will have to work hard to win over those who didn’t vote for her and that she will make the environment a priority.
Former Finance Minister Colin Hansen has a theory on how the party pulled off a win. “The undecided voters in the last week of the campaign really decided that the economy was the number one issue.”
Backroom-boy Brad Bennett has another. “Campaigns really matter and people start paying attention when the writ’s dropped and they pay more attention as the campaign starts to run its course.”
Clark herself lost in her riding of Vancouver-Point Grey; she has been neck-and-neck with the NDP’s David Eby all night. Eby ended up winning by 785 votes.
Clark narrowly won the riding in a 2011 by-election by just 564 votes over Eby.
