Environmentally-minded people urged to take over B.C. Liberal leadership vote

“There is this opportunity for a not-very-big group of voters to even temporarily join the B.C. Liberal Party and directly elect a premier,” Cooksey, creator of the documentary How to Boil a Frog, told the Straight by phone. “This is happening at a time when we are on the tipping point or past it for runaway global warming, in particular, and the frontrunner candidate is talking about repealing a puny carbon tax that is grossly inadequate, but is the only one there is in North America.”

People must become members of the B.C. Liberals by February 4 at 5 p.m. to be eligible to cast a ballot in the leadership vote.

Cooksey, a member of the Vancouver Peak Oil executive, has already walked his talk. He said he’s slapped down $10 for his B.C. Liberal party membership and has cancelled his membership with the provincial Greens.

According to Cooksey, he’s not alone. A North Shore environmental ally, Tarah Stafford, told Cooksey she has joined the B.C. Liberals and convinced 50 of her friends to do the same.

The next B.C. Liberal leader could govern for two and a half years, Cooksey added, saying this is a once-or-maybe-twice-in-a-century opportunity.

Cooksey also claimed he has urged federal Green party leader Elizabeth May to run for the B.C. Liberal leadership, but has received “no response” to his request.

“That [B.C. Liberal] person is going to be elected by a group of people less than 20,000 for sure, probably 10,000, and maybe even 5,000,” Cooksey said. “So, 5,000 or 10,000 voters are going to elect the next premier. And, if we could get everybody in the Green party or everyone that gives a damn about the environment to join the B.C. Liberals for the next 60 days, and, well, basically we can elect anyone we want. It’s too bad we don’t have a candidate worth voting for.”

Kevin Falcon, according to Cooksey, is “avowedly anti-Earth”.

Cooksey added that Christy Clark has not impressed him with her support for the Taseko Mines project at Fish Lake, which he said she expressed at a town hall meeting in West Vancouver during the campaign.

“If nothing else, let’s create a mass of swing voters within the [B.C.] Liberal Party that some candidate has to step forward and take a position in favour of the environment to bring to their side,” Cooksey said.

The Straight contacted the teams of leadership hopefuls Clark, Falcon, and George Abbott for interviews, but did not receive a response today (January 25).

Reverting to humour, Cooksey said 10,000 14-year-olds, each paying the $5 membership fee, could sign up and elect the next premier.

“Which is hilarious,” he said. “Not necessarily good, but hilarious.”