Stone set to enter race for B.C. Liberal leader
British Columbia’s Liberal leadership race is expected to expand to eight candidates with former transportation minister Todd Stone scheduling a campaign-style blitz Tuesday.
The Kamloops-South Thompson member of the legislature has stops in Surrey and Victoria, then finishes the day at Thompson Rivers University in his hometown of Kamloops.
An email statement Friday from former Liberal cabinet minister Peter Fassbender says B.C. needs a fresh vision to keep the province on track and Stone will make a special announcement about the party’s future.
“This is an incredibly important time for our party and our province,” says the statement, without making an official announcement.
Former Surrey mayor Dianne Watts announced her intentions for the party’s top job last month, along with 38-year-old Terrace businesswoman Lucy Sager and five current provincial Liberal politicians; Sam Sullivan, Mike Bernier, Andrew Wilkinson, Mike de Jong and Michael Lee.
Stone’s likely candidacy brings with him the potential to appeal to urban and rural voters and his experience as a high-tech entrepreneur will help separate him from the former Liberal government’s largely ineffective attempt to develop a liquefied natural gas industry, said David Black, a political communications professor at Royal Roads University.