BC United Seeking Reminder of Former Name on Upcoming Election Ballot

BC United Leader Kevin Falcon speaks after the former B.C. Liberal Party unveiled their new name and branding, in Surrey, B.C., on April 12, 2023. Falcon, who championed the name change during his leadership campaign, said it was a bold bridge-building move and voters would have 18 months to become familiar with the new name before the 2024 fixed election date. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

The BC United Party is looking to have its former Liberal name put on the ballot during the provincial election in October.

The party changed its name during a rebranding in 2023. It was formerly called the B.C. Liberals.

A formal application was being prepared for Elections BC to request that a phrase indicating the party was formerly known as the B.C. Liberals be included on the ballot for the Oct. 19 election. This follows an internal poll that showed 30 percent of people didn’t realize the party had been renamed, according to The Canadian Press.

In November 2022, 80 percent of members supported the name change. It was one of about 2,000 suggestions.

At the time of the name change, party leader Kevin Falcon said the name had been a “constant topic of debate.”

The new name was seen as a new beginning, Falcon said.

However, the BC United Party has lost about four candidates to the BC Conservatives in the past three months.

A recent online survey found that the BC United Party, the official opposition, was trailing in the polls with 9 percent of support among decided voters. It’s a drop of 2 percent from the previous month.

The governing NDP has 41 percent of support, followed by the BC Conservatives at 38 percent. The BC Green Party is in third place with 10 percent.

BC United Leader Falcon’s popularity is also the lowest among the main parties. NDP Leader David Eby has a 48 percent approval rating, with BC Conservative Leader John Rustad at 39 percent and BC Greens Leader Sonia Furstenau at 35 percent. Falcon sits at 29 percent.

There had been some speculation that the BC Conservative and BC United parties were looking at a merger. However, both party leaders have said no such merger will form.