The following is a transcript of Liberal leader Christy Clark's speech at Liberal party headquarters at the Fairmont Waterfront after midnight on May 10.
Thank you.
Thank you guys very much. Thank you so much everybody. Well, something only happens in BC. And, here tonight, we have an opportunity. We have been presented by an opportunity by British Columbians to open a whole new dialogue in our province, in our legislature. A dialogue about how we do things, what we should do, how we want to shape the future of our province. And so tonight is the beginning of something very different and something that I think could be really exciting for the future of our province and for our kids and so let me start by saying thank you to all of you, thank you so much for all of your passionate heartfelt support over the last 28 days. You have been the most amazing group of people. Amazing.
Our campaign travelled over 12,000 km, visited 55 ridings, met thousands of British Columbians from every single walk of life and we heard about the needs of British Columbians, the concerns that people have and, most of all, in a campaign that is all about hope, we heard about people's hopes — hopes for their future, hopes for their children's future, for their grandchildren's future. And that's what we talked about during this campaign and that's what people are thinking about all over British Columbia — their hope for what comes next, because elections aren't about the past and elections aren't even about today. Elections are all about the future — what do we want British Columbia to look like in four years, in 10 years, in 40 years? What do we want to leave for our kids that is better than we found it? How do we make sure that this environment that we live in that we're so proud of, that we're so attached to, this world that shapes us — and has forged British Columbia from the very beginning — how do we make sure that it is better than we left it?
How do we make sure that this province is more prosperous than we found it? How do we make sure that our children are better off? For all those of you who came here from somewhere else in Canada or from around the world, and for all those of you for whom it was your parents or grandparents or great grandparents and — that's everybody unless you're First Nations like Ellis Ross. If you came here from somewhere else, you came because you wanted to build something for your children, you wanted this to be a better place for them and you were prepared to make sacrifices for them just like our parents did for all of us and that's what British Columbia still is, that is the hope that our province holds for everybody who comes here.
I think about the berry picker who came from India and settled in Abbotsford, worked for dollar a day or even less, and got her daughter through medical school. I think about the immigrant who came from Europe after the Second World War and got a job as a chambermaid and got her son in university until he built a giant tech company. These are stories of British Columbia and that's why people come here. This is the promise and hope of our province.
And so when we travelled across British Columbia we heard about those hopes every single day and peoples said to us, yes we want a bigger economy not a bigger government.
People said to us they didn’t want us to leave their kids with a huge bill to pay for services that we wanted but couldn’t afford to pay for ourselves. People said to us they wanted us to cut middle class taxes and keep their taxes low so that they can keep more of the money that they work so hard for. And, most importantly, British Columbians want a chance to get a great, good paying, secure job that’s going to mean they might not have worry about their kids.
And tonight British Columbians elected a remarkable and diverse team of BC Liberal candidates in every region of British Columbia, I am so proud of all of our candidates who ran, those who were successful and those who ran and were successful in every other way by making sure that their message got out, who fought hard for the things they believe in. It is tough and gutsy to put your name forward for public office and I wanna say thank you to all of the candidates.
And so, tonight, we won the popular vote. And, we have also won the most seats. And with absentee ballots still to be counted, I am confident they will strengthen our margin of victory.
So it is my intention to continue to lead British Columbia’s government.
But British Columbians did tell us tonight that they want us to do some things differently. They want us to work together, they want us to work across party lines, and they want us to find a way to get along so that we can all work for the province that all of us love so very, very much. They want us to work together for a strong B.C., for a bright future for our children and grandchildren. And both Dr. Weaver and John Horgan ran strong, tough, competitive campaigns. I want to thank them for the work that they did and all of their candidates and making sure they stood up strong in the things they believe in.
Because as I always say, the only poll that count is the one on election day and voters always know best and they reminded us tonight that we are far from perfect. [My son] Hamish reminds me of that regularly, too. They reminded us that we need to be humble. Our job is to lead but it is also our jobs to always remember who it is that we serve and that we need to stay focused on the things that matter to ordinary British Columbians no matter where they live, no matter how they make their living, no matter where they come from, no matter who they are.
But in the face of rising protectionism in the United States, economic uncertainty around the world, now more than ever, B.C. needs strong leadership.
There are thousands of family-supporting jobs on the line and we need to be strong, we cannot afford to be weak, we need to be focused, we cannot be distracted by partisanship. We need to be united, we cannot be divided, and so I will work with the other parties to do what needs to be done to keep fighting, to preserve, protect and create jobs for working people in British Columbia.
But as you all know and, as you have proven, no leader can fight an election alone and I want to thank every British Columbian who stepped up as a volunteer or a candidate for any party in this election, but especially the tens of thousands of B.C. Liberals who believe in me and our candidates and the values that we fight for every day.
Our free enterprise coalition is strong and it is as strong as it has ever been and campaigns can be tough, they can be tiring, but what has kept me going is that knowing all of you are there and you’ve got my back. And I wanna thank… and in addition to thanking you guys, I want to thank this guy here, Hamish.
Having a mom in politics is just not easy — [Hamish: “Yeah”] — and he has put up with a lot and I want to say thank you, Hamish, for bearing with me for always being there with me. So, this is why we all do politics, for our kids. It certainly isn’t for the glory, because if you’re in politics for the glory you will be disappointed. If you do it because you wanna be loved, I think you’d be better off getting a dog. We do it because of the people that we love so much. And everything that I do, I do so that British Columbians can look after the people that they love and that is my promise to you.
When I get up every day, I’ll be thinking about how I can help you build a life that you want and how together we can make this province even stronger. Because I believe in the people of British Columbia, people who can defy the doubters, who can accomplish anything if you are just given half a chance. I believe that we have a very bright future ahead of us. I have always believed that, because I have always believed in all of you.
So let’s get out there, let’s build a strong B.C. Let’s seize that bright future for our province and let’s do it together! Thank you very much everybody! Thank you so much for all you’ve done! Thank you guys!Â
