# British Columbia Liberal Party leadership elections

This page lists the results of leadership conventions of the British Columbia Liberal Party, known since 2023 as British Columbia United.
Winners are listed first, in bold, and prefaced by .

## 1902 leadership convention

Held February 6, 1902.
* Joseph Martin 47
* William Wallace Burns McInnes 17
* John Cunningham Brown 8
* George Ritchie Maxwell 4
* Scattering 14
(Source: "Canadian Annual Review 1902", p. 85)

## 1903 election by party caucus

Joseph Martin resigned as Liberal leader on June 2, 1903. Following his personal defeat in the 1903 general election, the first on a partisan basis, James Alexander MacDonald was elected leader by a party caucus on October 19, 1903.
First ballot:
* Stuart Alexander Henderson 5
* James Alexander MacDonald 5
* William Wallace Burns McInnes 5
Second ballot:
* William Wallace Burns McInnes 6
* MacDONALD, James Alexander 5
* Stuart Alexander Henderson 4
Third ballot (Runoff between McInnes and MacDonald):
* James Alexander MacDonald 11
* William Wallace Burns McInnes 4
Fourth ballot (McInnes eliminated):
* James Alexander MacDonald 10
* Stuart Alexander Henderson 4
(Source: "Canadian Annual Review 1903", pgs. 222–223)

## Developments 1909–1912

John Oliver was elected leader by a meeting of the caucus and provincial executive October 10, 1909.

## 1912 leadership convention

Held March 1, 1912
* Harlan Carey Brewster (acclaimed)

## 1918 election by party caucus

On March 5, 1918, John Oliver was elected leader on the fourth ballot, defeating James Horace King and John Wallace de Beque Farris. William Sloan and John Duncan MacLean were eliminated on previous ballots.
* John Oliver
* James Horace King
* John Wallace de Begue Farris
* William Sloan
* John Duncan MacLean
Source: "Morning Leader", March 6, 1918

## Developments 1927–1930

At a party caucus on July 18, 1927, John Oliver resigned as premier and party leader due to ill health. This was refused and John Duncan MacLean was chosen to be his successor as leader and premier and was made acting premier while Oliver remained nominal premier. Oliver died on August 17, 1927, and MacLean became premier on August 20.
Source: "Morning Leader", July 19, 1927
Following John Duncan MacLean's personal defeat in the 1928 general election Thomas Dufferin Pattullo was unanimously chosen House leader by the Liberal caucus on January 19, 1929. This was confirmed by the party executive on January 21, 1929. He was confirmed as permanent leader at a subsequent convention.
Source: "Vancouver Sun", January 21, 1929

## 1930 leadership convention

Held May 30, 1930
* Thomas Dufferin Pattullo (acclaimed)
Source: "Montreal Gazette", May 31, 1930

## 1941 leadership convention

Held December 2, 1941
* John Hart (acclaimed)
Source: "The Leader Post", December 3, 1941

## 1947 leadership convention

Held December 10, 1947
* Byron Ingemar Johnson 475
* Gordon Sylvester Wismer 467
Source: "Saskatoon Star-Phoenix", December 11, 1947

## 1953 leadership convention

Held April 8, 1953
* Arthur Laing (acclaimed)
Source: "Vancouver Sun", April 9, 1953

## 1959 leadership convention

Held on May 16, 1959
* Ray Perrault 494
* George Frederick Thompson Gregory 162
Source: "Montreal Gazette", May 19, 1959

## 1968 leadership convention

Held on October 5, 1968
* Pat McGeer 686
* Garde Gardom 316
Source: The Leader-Post, October 7, 1968)

## 1972 leadership convention

Held on May 22, 1972
* David Anderson 388
* Bill Vander Zalm 177

## 1975 leadership convention

Held on September 28, 1975, in Burnaby, British Columbia
* Gordon Gibson (acclaimed)

## 1979 leadership convention

Held on February 19, 1979
* Jev Tothill 250
* Hugh Chesley 51
(Source: Globe and Mail, February 19, 1979)

## 1981 leadership convention

Held on May 25, 1981
* Shirley McLoughlin 195
* Tom Finkelstein 146
* Roland Bouwman 48
(Note: There were six spoiled ballots.)

## 1984 leadership convention

Held on March 31, 1984, in Richmond, British Columbia
* Art Lee 319
* Stan Roberts 126
* William Pryhitko 43
* Ron Biggs 36

## 1987 leadership convention

Held on October 30, 1987, in Richmond, British Columbia
* Gordon Wilson (acclaimed)
One other candidate, Clive Tanner, had been in the race through the spring and summer, but withdrew in August after sustaining a leg injury which affected his ability to campaign.

## 1993 leadership challenge

Held on September 11, 1993.
* Gordon Campbell 4141
* Gordon Gibson 1600
* Gordon Wilson 531
* Linda Reid 166
* Wilf Hurd 62
* Allan Warnke 36
* Charles McKinney 4

## 2011 leadership election

Held on February 26, 2011
The rounds were counted in terms of points, with 100 points allocated per electoral district.
| Candidate | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round |
| Candidate | Points | % | Points | % | Points | % |
| Christy Clark | 3,209 | 37.75 | 3,575 | 42.06 | 4,420 | 52.0 |
| Kevin Falcon | 2,411 | 28.36 | 2,564 | 30.16 | 4,080 | 48.0 |
| George Abbott | 2,091 | 24.60 | 2,361 | 27.78 | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Mike de Jong | 789 | 9.28 | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Total | 8,500 | 100.00 | 8,500 | 100.00 | 8,500 | 100.0 |

## 2018 leadership election

Held February 3, 2018
    = Eliminated from next round
    = Winner
| Candidate | Ballot 1 | Ballot 2 | Ballot 2 | Ballot 3 | Ballot 3 | Ballot 4 | Ballot 4 | Ballot 5 | Ballot 5 |
| Name | Points | Points | +/− (pp) | Points | +/− (pp) | Points | +/− (pp) | Points | +/− (pp) |
| Andrew Wilkinson | 1,591 18.29% | 1,631 18.74% | +40 +0.45 | 2,201 25.29% | +570 +6.55 | 2,862 32.89% | +661 +7.60 | 4,621 53.11% | +1,759 +20.22 |
| Dianne Watts | 2,135 24.54% | 2,169 24.93% | +34 +0.39 | 2,469 28.38% | +300 +3.45 | 3,006 34.55% | +537 +6.17 | 4,079 46.89% | +1,073 +12.34 |
| Michael Lee | 1,916 22.03% | 1,960 22.53% | +54 +0.50 | 2,264 26.03% | +304 +3.50 | 2,832 32.56% | +568 +6.53 | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Todd Stone | 1,483 17.05% | 1,505 17.30% | +22 +0.25 | 1,766 20.29% | +261 +2.99 | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Mike de Jong | 1,415 16.27% | 1,436 16.51% | +21 +0.24 | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Sam Sullivan | 158 1.82% | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |

## 2022 leadership election

A leadership election was held on February 5, 2022 to elect a new party leader following the resignation of Andrew Wilkinson after the 2020 British Columbia general election.
    = Eliminated from next round
    = Winner
| Candidate | Ballot 1 | Ballot 1 | Ballot 2 | Ballot 2 | Ballot 3 | Ballot 3 | Ballot 4 | Ballot 4 | Ballot 5 | Ballot 5 |
| Name | Points | Percent | Points | Percent | Points | Percent | Points | Percent | Points | Percent |
| Kevin Falcon | 4121 | 47% | 4143 | 47.6% | 4202.36 | 48.3% | 4318.14 | 49.63% | 4541.35 | 52.19% |
| Ellis Ross | 2325 | 26.7% | 2355.9 | 27.1% | 2493.1 | 28.66% | 2714.50 | 31.2% | 2928.33 | 33.65% |
| Michael Lee | 899 | 10.3% | 912.4 | 10.5% | 938.43 | 10.8% | 1039.37 | 11.94% | 1230.31 | 14.14% |
| Val Litwin | 504 | 5.8% | 517.9 | 5.95% | 536.17 | 6.16% | 627.97 | 7.21% | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Gavin Dew | 466 | 5.4% | 481.4 | 5.5% | 429.93 | 6.01% | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Renee Merrifield | 278 | 3.2% | 289 | 3.3% | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Stan Sipos | 104.6 | 1.2% | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |