B.C. Liberals have chance to dump Gordon Campbell

Members of the B.C. Liberal Party who are mad about the harmonized sales tax will have a chance to stick it to their leader, Premier Gordon Campbell, this fall.

According to Chris Delaney, lead organizer of the Fight HST citizen initiative, the increasingly unpopular premier will be the subject of a leadership review when the party holds its next convention, in November.

“I don’t know if they have an opportunity to choose a new leader, but I think they have an opportunity to probably vote a lack of confidence in this one,” Delaney told the Straight by phone. “In which case, he would probably have to resign if he didn’t pass a certain threshold.”

The former deputy leader of the B.C. Conservative Party noted that many of the biggest and fastest signings of the HST petition happened in B.C. Liberal–controlled constituencies, indicating that the party’s base isn’t happy with the revenue measure, which takes effect today (July 1).

However, Delaney doubts it will be the party membership that will push Campbell out as leader. “I don’t think anybody’s ever been under the illusion that the Liberal party is a grassroots type of organization as much as a corporate party,” he said. “So my suspicion would be that if they wanted Gordon Campbell out as leader, that people at the higher end of the party would sort of encourage him to announce his resignation either before or just after the convention.”

B.C. Liberal Party spokesperson Chad Pederson explained to the Straight by phone that members will each sign a “leadership endorsement ballot” when their respective constituency associations hold meetings during the summer and fall in the lead-up to the convention. Pederson noted that Campbell has received a “strong endorsement” from members at previous conventions.

Asked if this year’s convention will be different for the premier, Pederson responded, “It’s a matter for us not to prejudge our members. But we believe that it will be another strong endorsement of our direction to try and take the province through its economic recovery.”

Former Social Credit premier Bill Vander Zalm, Delaney, and anti–HST campaign volunteers plan to submit to Elections B.C. on June 30 the signatures gathered from voters in the province’s 85 electoral districts.

“It’s 705,234 as of this conversation and there’s more straggling in, so it would probably get to 710,000,” Delaney said on June 29 .

The B.C. NDP is scheduled to address its leadership in 2011.