Christy Clark, whose B.C. Liberal party was a mix of Liberals and Conservatives, was asked about her past relationship with the Conservatives in an interview with CBC.CHAD HIPOLITO/The Canadian Press
Former B.C. premier Christy Clark’s prospects of a successful bid for the federal Liberal leadership race has taken a hit after she falsely claimed she was never a member of the federal Conservative Party.
Despite the hiccup, Ms. Clark is still considering a run, even as the race already appears to be narrowing as several high-profile cabinet ministers bow out – leaving the field largely open to ex-finance minister Chrystia Freeland and former central banker Mark Carney. Neither of them has formally declared their candidacy to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but are widely expected to enter the race.
On Saturday, Transport Minister Anita Anand joined the list of cabinet ministers choosing not to enter the leadership race. She also said she won’t seek re-election as an MP in the next federal campaign.
Ms. Clark, whose B.C. Liberal party was a mix of Liberals and Conservatives, was asked about her past relationship with the latter in an interview with CBC’s radio program The House, which aired Saturday.
She told host Catherine Cullen that she’d “never” had a membership in the Conservative party, despite having told reporters numerous times in 2022 that she was a member and was voting in that contest to support former Quebec premier Jean Charest.
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“I’m a lifelong Liberal but I joined the Conservative party so I could vote, because I felt like it was my civic duty to make sure that we were supporting candidates who care about the things we hold in common,” Ms. Clark told CTV just a week before the Conservative leadership vote in 2022.
When Ms. Cullen told Ms. Clark that the Conservatives confirmed she held a membership, Ms. Clark said she never received the card nor a ballot, and said she wouldn’t put it past the party to “manufacture” one of them.
After the Conservatives produced a copy of her membership record – also circulated online by Jenni Byrne, a senior adviser to Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre – Ms. Clark walked back her comments.
A screenshot of the Conservative Party’s management system showing former B.C. premier Christy Clark’s Conservative membership purchase.Supplied
“I misspoke,” she said in a statement posted to social media.
“I have always been clear that I supported Jean Charest to stop Pierre Poilievre. Not backing away from that.
“I’m thinking carefully about running because he still needs to be stopped. But if we want to do that, our party has to accept change. Sticking with the status quo is a losing strategy.”
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Former Liberal environment minister Catherine McKenna, who is backing Mr. Carney, criticized Ms. Clark.
“Dear Liberals: I can confirm that Christy Clark is a Conservative. Worse: She thinks politics is saying whatever is required to win,” Ms. McKenna wrote on social media.
“The worst kind of politics.”
In addition to her past political allegiances, Ms. Clark’s ability to speak French has also been scrutinized, with numerous senior Liberals noting that bilingualism is crucial for the job.
The field of candidates is expected to narrow considerably in the coming days.
Ms. Clark said in a statement sent to The Globe and Mail on Saturday that she will take the weekend to consider her options and confer with her team
“Canada is at a historic inflection point. We need a leader who can unite Canadians and stand up to incoming President Trump,” she said. “I am seriously considering the opportunity.”
Last week, The Globe reported that Mr. Carney and Ms. Freeland are both organizing their leadership teams and recruiting Liberal MPs to their teams. That work was made easier by the many ministers who have bowed out of the race.
For years, Ms. Anand had been widely viewed as a leadership hopeful. But she said on Saturday that she will instead return to her past work as a law professor at the University of Toronto after the next federal election.
“Now that the Prime Minister has made his decision to move to his next chapter, I have determined the time is right for me to do the same, and to return to my prior professional life of teaching, research and public policy analyses,” she said in a statement posted to social media.
Her decision follows Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, who both bowed out last week, citing a desire to remain focused on their jobs and prepare Canada to manage the economic threats of Mr. Trump.
Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne is expected to announce his intentions within the next two days.
The rules the Liberal Party set could also winnow down the list of qualifiers: candidates must pay a $350,000 entry fee, a sum which could be prohibitive for some would-be candidates.
Only two people have stated publicly they will try to mount a campaign: former Liberal MP and businessman Frank Baylis, and current Liberal MP Chandra Arya.
Others considering a run are House Leader Karina Gould, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and Employment Minister Steven MacKinnon.
Liberal Party members are set to chose a new leader on March 9.