DESIBUZZCanada recently ran an exclusive story on contender Kevin Falcon, who apparently doesn’t want any challengers to his bid. BC Liberal MLA Todd Stone’s recent announcement that he will not be seeking the BC Liberal leadership was a warning to other candidates to back off and let former minister Falcon be the BC Liberal King.  Whether Stone’s announcement will have any bearing on others seeking to run for the leadership remains to be seen but party insiders know that challenging Falcon is off limits but of course the courageous and the deluded can still give it a shot. How many and who are in the field will most likely impact if Falcon officially declares his intentions to seek the leadership.

By PD Raj – Senior Writer DESIBUZZCanada

VANCOUVER — With a leading contender days from officially announcing his candidacy, the BC Liberal Party's Executive announced Thursday the establishment of a Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) that will administer the upcoming leadership race.

The members of LEOC are:

Co-Chair Roxanne Helme of Victoria

Co-Chair Colin Hansen of Vancouver

Derek Lew of Vancouver

Sarah Sidhu of Port Moody

Don Silversides of Prince Rupert

Cameron Stolz of Prince George

Jackie Tegart of Ashcroft

"I am honoured to be involved in this important initiative and excited to be part of renewing and ever strengthening our BC Liberal Party," said LEOC Co-Chair, Roxanne Helme.

"This is an historic time for our party as we embark on the process of selecting a new leader who will unite our coalition and put British Columbians first," said LEOC Co-Chair, Colin Hansen.

The only Indo-Canadian on the committee is Sarah Sidhu, who is described as an experienced lawyer in both the private and public sector and currently practices in-house. She is an active community volunteer and currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the Vancouver Foundation. Sidhu is also a member of the Canadian Bar Association and Canadian Corporate Counsel Association.

The committee has been tasked with determining the timeline for the election, establishing the rules that will guide the race, and implementing the process by which members will elect the leader.

"The election of a new leader is an integral part of the renewal and rebuilding process that the BC Liberal Party and its members are currently engaged in," said Lindsay Cote, Interim Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party. "I want to thank the members of LEOC for dedicating their time and expertise to this extremely important process that will have a significant impact on the future of both the Party and the province."

All members of the party's Executive and LEOC have pledged to remain neutral throughout the leadership process to ensure fairness and accountability.

DESIBUZZCanada recently ran an exclusive story on contender Kevin Falcon, who apparently doesn’t want any challengers to his bid.

BC Liberal MLA Todd Stone’s recent announcement that he will not be seeking the BC Liberal leadership was a warning to other candidates to back off and let former minister Falcon be the BC Liberal King. 

Whether Stone’s announcement will have any bearing on others seeking to run for the leadership remains to be seen but party insiders know that challenging Falcon is off limits but of course the courageous and the deluded can still give it a shot. How many and who are in the field will most likely impact if Falcon officially declares his intentions to seek the leadership.