The weekend controversy over making fun of an ethnic Chinese-Canadian candidate by one of the veteran BC Liberal candidates and MLAs Jane Thornwaite, which included party leader Andrew Wilkinson on the zoom farewell to outgoing MLA Ralph Sultan, shows just how out of touch the BC Liberals are, and also how ignorant and insensitive they are just like the Conservatives.

By Promod Puri & R. Paul Dhillon

While there may be many federal Liberals like the lack-luster Gulzar Cheema running for the BC Liberal party but the BC Liberal brand is nothing more than the junior league of the Conservative party of Canada with even some semblance of the old Reform party.

The Liberal Party of British Columbia is almost a replica of the Conservative Party of Canada. Its leadership and memberships' behaviour and supporters' temperament coincide with the federal Conservatives from top to bottom in the party's rank and file.

The weekend controversy over making fun of an ethnic Chinese-Canadian NDP candidate by one of the veteran BC Liberal candidates and MLAs Jane Thornwaite (North Vancouver-Seymour Liberal incumbent) which included party leader Andrew Wilkinson on the zoom farewell to outgoing MLA Ralph Sultan, shows just how out of touch the BC Liberals are, and also how ignorant and insensitive they are just like the Conservatives.

Wilkinson posted an apology to Bowinn Ma, the NDP candidate for North Vancouver, on Twitter Sunday. But it took two days for the Liberal leader to answer questions from the media about sexist, degrading remarks about Ma made by Thornthwaite.

"Many people who were at Ralph Sultan's retirement roast thought Jane's remarks were in exceptionally bad taste and showed poor judgment. I'm included in that. I was embarrassed to see those remarks being made," said Wilkinson at a campaign event Tuesday, where the Liberals unveiled their election platform.

This kind of conduct has been rampant in the BC Liberals, whose candidates are being accused of being anti-gay among other things. So it begs a question - Can the real BC Liberals, who have wrapped themselves in Conservative clothing, find their true separate identity in BC?

British Columbians, who are conservative in their political thinking, also have a strong leaning towards the provincial Liberal Party.

The roots of the BC Liberal Party go as far as the early part of the last century. It ruled the province as well for several terms during this period. But the party almost collapsed in 1952.

Most of its elected politicians and members joined the right-leaning Social Credit Party. The conservative "Socred Party" dominated BC's political scene for decades.

Meanwhile, a rookie but a maverick teacher-turned politician, Gordon Wilson, revived the Liberal party that became the official opposition in the 1991 provincial election.

With the rise of the Liberal Party under Gordon Wilson, the Social Credit Party soon faced its demise. Its leadership and the party's membership saw their political future in the Liberal Party. A sort of revolt happened when rightwinger Gordon Campbell forces dethroned Gordon Wilson in 1994.

All along with its recent history, except during the period of Gordon Wilson, the BC Liberal Party has seldom been liberal, rather more conservative in its outlook and policies. During Wilson's leadership, the party got an image more akin to the federal Liberal in its centrist ideology.

Soon, that image got erased as Campbell became its leader and started moving the party more towards the right. In 2001, the party won the election with the biggest landslide in BC history, taking 77 of 79 seats.

Pro-business and corporate policies followed, and the party ever since has enjoyed committed support from the business community.

Since then, the BC Liberal's portrait matches quite well with that of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Promod Puri's Websites: promodpuri.com, progressivehindudialogue.com