Former B.C. premier Christy Clark decides not to run for Liberal leadership

By Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press on January 14, 2025.

OTTAWA – Former B.C. premier Christy Clark says she has decided not to seek the federal Liberal leadership.

In a note to her supporters, Clark says there’s not enough time in the leadership race for her to mount a successful campaign and renew the party.

She also says that while she has worked hard on improving her French skills, she cannot effectively connect with francophone Canadians in their own language.

Clark’s announcement comes just days after she was forced to backtrack from her claim that she was never a member of the Conservative party.

In an interview with CBC Radio that aired over the weekend, Clark denied that she became a party member and supported former Quebec premier Jean Charest’s bid in the 2022 Conservative leadership race that elected Pierre Poilievre.

Clark later said that she misspoke in the interview and acknowledged that she had backed Charest to stop Poilievre from winning.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2024.

8
-7