Two Liberal MLAs in the East Kootenay are looking forward to rebuilding the BC Liberal party now that a new leader has been chosen to lead the party into the 2024 provincial election.
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The MLA for Columbia River-Revelstoke says the BC Liberal party is entering a new era under the guidance of Kevin Falcon.
Doug Clovechok is happy Falcon has been chosen as the new party leader following an election over the weekend among party members, he won on the fifth ballot with over 52% of the vote.
Clovechok has previously stepped down as caucus whip for the Liberals to announce his endorsement for Falcon, he was reintroduced to that role by Falcon following his election triumph and appointment to the party’s helm.
“Kevin’s got a real knack of bringing diverse groups of people together,” says Clovechok. “I’m really excited. I think it’s a new beginning, it’s a new start for our party.”
Clovechok says there will be a lot of issues for the Liberals to address under Falcon, particularly around mental health and the economy.
“He [Faclon] recognizes the importance of issues like mental health and addiction, which has just skyrocketed under the leadership of the NDP – it’s the worst it’s ever been,” Clovechok says. “He also knows we’ve got to restart the economy, we’ve got to get businesses back up and running, we’ve got to take care of medical issues.”
Clovechok’s Kootenay East counterpart, Tom Shypitka, is also sending his congratulations to Falcon, and everybody else who was in the running to become the new BC Liberal leader.
MLA Shypitka says the Liberals need to get back to listening to, and addressing, the needs of British Columbians.
“I think we’ve always been a very caring party, but we seem to focus on the revenue side rather than the service side,” says Shypitka. “We want the services, we just need to have a tax friendly way of getting those services to the people. I think we need to expand that message a little bit for British Columbians.”
Shypitka had previously endorsed Skeena MLA Ellis Ross in his bid to become the next Liberal leader, but concedes that Falcon boasts plenty of experience to bring to the leadership role.
“Multi Minister roles, he’s been to the Legislature before, he’s a good community person, he’s a family man,” lists Shypitka. “I don’t think anybody would argue that he was more ‘shovel-ready’ for this position than any other candidate.”
Falcon several held key portfolios under the BC Liberals when the party was governing under the direction of then-Premier Gordon Campbell.
He is returning to politics after leaving the public eye over a decade ago to spend more time with his family.
– Doug Clovechok – MLA, Columbia River-Revelstoke
– Tom Shypitka – MLA, Kootenay East
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