LIBERALS DECIDING ABOUT CLARK

Ministers left an emergency cabinet meeting at Canada Place on Sunday afternoon, showing support for Premier Christy Clark even though there are increasing calls for her resignation over the ethnic voter scandal. Hundreds of Liberal party members in Surrey met at Sikh temples around the city Sunday to discuss the scandal, which has precipitated four high-profile departures from Surrey riding associations. Viewed now as an extension of the Liberals’ strategy to woo ethnic voters in advance of the May election, a group of 89 predominantly Indo-Canadian members of the B.C. Liberals have taken issue with Ms. Clark’s decision to spend taxpayer dollars to bid for the Times of India Film Awards. In a Sunday news release they called for Clark’s resignation, saying she had made the ethnic vote a joke in B.C.
Many of us may be concerned as well that hosting this awards ceremony for popular Bollywood films will cost an estimated $11 million dollars. The ceremony is to be held in Vancouver April 4 to 6. That is conveniently scheduled just prior to our provincial election. Christy Clark will face her entire caucus Monday and this promises to be a confrontation between supporters and MLA’s upset with her handling of the situation. This may be an exacting meeting for her. One Liberal MLA, Dave Hayer, an Indo-Canadian, has condemned the ethnic voter plan and indications are that in Clark’s caucus there are others who feel the premier should be taking more responsibility, and should be showing more contrition over the issue. Since Sunday’s emergency Cabinet meeting, great effort will be made to pull the party together in view of the imminent election.

Clark’s own comment on Sunday’s Meeting, CBC
Indo-Canadian disapproval, Vancouver Sun story,
Last Minute Cabinet Meeting, Vancouver Sun story
Liberal MLA Dave Hayer slams own party, Vancouver Sun story
Some Liberals Calling for Christy Clark’s resignation, The Record

Postscript: Premier Clark did not step down and following the emergency Cabinet meeting she announced that they are solidly united in Cabinet. Today her entire caucus meets, and once again a united front will be the projected outcome but there is not question that this will be a heated exchange because there are Liberal MLA's who have had enough under her leadership. Furthermore, four Liberal Party Association Presidents have resigned last week because of this recent scandal as well as what they see as a rising crescendo of memo leaks concerning systemic, endemic, internal disease within the Liberal organization. So, despite the united front that may be presented at the end of the day, there may be decay in the support level within the Party grassroots, and in the public perception which has yet to make up its mind how to vote. Many may not want to vote in another NDP government because memories linger, but this present Liberal alternative is undesirable.