Former British Columbia Premier Christy Clark has announced she will not run as a candidate in the upcoming federal election.
Clark’s March 24 announcement on social media said she had received “encouragement and good wishes” from Liberals and others across the country but it did not provide an explanation for her decision not to pursue candidacy.
“Many thanks to all of you, but I won’t be running as a candidate in this election,” Clark wrote. “Good luck to all those who are running for office. Thank you for stepping up for Canada at a critical moment for us all.”
A federal election has been scheduled for April 28, following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s request to Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament on March 23, one day before Parliament was set to reconvene.
Clark served as premier and leader of the B.C. Liberal party from 2011 to 2017. The party, later renamed BC United, has no ties to the federal Liberals. The party suspended its campaign during last year’s provincial election to back the B.C. Conservatives.
Clark considered running for the federal Liberal leadership race earlier this year, as the party looked to replace former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She later decided against it, saying there was not enough time to prepare a “successful” campaign, adding that her French language skills were not yet adequate to connect with French-speaking Canadians.
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Clark’s move away from the leadership bid in January came days after she retracted earlier claims that she did not hold a Conservative Party membership. During the 2022 federal Conservative leadership race, won by Pierre Poilievre, Clark had expressed her support for then-candidate Jean Charest.
When asked in January how long she had held a Conservative Party membership, Clark told CBC she “never” got a membership or a ballot. When the reporter said the Conservative Party had confirmed Clark’s membership cancellation, the former premier said she “wouldn’t put it past them to manufacture one of them.”
After the interview, Clark said in a Jan. 10 social media post that she “misspoke” about her Conservative Party membership. She said she backed Charest to oppose Poilievre, calling him “the most divisive politician we’ve seen in years,” and saying it was her “duty” as a Canadian to “stop him in his tracks.”
