B.C. Liberals announce B.C. United as top choice for party name change

The British Columbia Liberal Party could soon have anew name.

The party says the proposed new name, B.C. United, has been selected after a three-month membership consultation period in which more than 2,000 suggestions were submitted.

A voting process will be announced in the coming weeks, and members will have the opportunityto vote on the new name by the end of this year, according to a statement from the party.

The party says more than two-thirds of delegates who attended last June's convention in Penticton voted in favour of considering a new name.

B.C. Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon made consideration of a name change one of his leadership campaign promises earlier this year.

The party says B.C. United reflects a fresh alternative that expresses a commitment to unity across a broad coalition of members while highlighting the province's name.

The B.C. Liberals have always billed themselves as a free enterprise coalition of federal Liberals and Conservatives, but some party members believe the name hasturned away conservative-leaning voters.

Voter confusion

The centre-right party has no modern-day affiliation with the Liberal Party of Canada. However, the shared name has been an ongoing point of confusion, especially during election years.

Why the B.C. Liberals are not the same as the federal Liberals

7 years ago

Duration 3:23

A short history lesson for those confused why they're different from every other Liberal party in Canada

Veteranprovincial Liberal Colin Hansen suggested a name change over a decade ago,saying the party needed new branding.

"I think every time we go through an election campaign, on the doorsteps, we get people who are confused with the fact there is a Liberal Party of Canada, and there is a B.C. party, and the two organizations are not connected at all," said Hanson in 2011.

The history of the Liberals' name in B.C. stretches back to 1903, when the B.C. Legislature first recognized political parties.

Originally an arm of the national Liberal Party,those ties were severed in1987 when then-Capilano College instructor Gordon Wilson took over the Liberal Party of British Columbia and began a rebuilding program.

The B.C. Liberals became the dominant centre-right party in the province in 1991 when the Social Credit Party collapsed under the weight of repeated scandals after nearly four decades in power.

In 1993 after an extramaritalaffair between Wilson andLiberal MLA Judy Tyabjicame to light, thepartyforced a leadership race in which Wilson was dumped for former Vancouver mayor Gordon Campbell.