Editing BC United (section)

===Clark government: 2011–2017===
The party's [[2011 British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election|2011 leadership convention]] was prompted by [[Gordon Campbell (Canadian politician)|Gordon Campbell]]'s request to the party to hold a leadership convention "at the earliest possible date".<ref name="Thanks">{{cite news |url=http://www.bcliberals.com/news/premier_s_news/premier_campbell_thanks_supporters |title=Premier Campbell Thanks Supporters |work=www.bcliberals.com |publisher=BC Liberal Party |access-date=December 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126233015/http://www.bcliberals.com/news/premier_s_news/premier_campbell_thanks_supporters |archive-date=November 26, 2010}}</ref> The convention elected [[Christy Clark]] as its new leader of the party on February 26, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/christy-clark-voted-b-c-liberal-leader-1.987130 |title=Christy Clark voted B.C. Liberal leader |work=CBC News |date=February 26, 2011 |access-date=April 11, 2011}}</ref> Clark and her new Cabinet were sworn in on March 14.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-s-new-premier-to-be-sworn-in-1.1007011 |title=B.C.'s new premier to be sworn in |work=CBC News |date=March 14, 2011 |access-date=April 11, 2011}}</ref>

[[File:BC Liberals 2013.png|thumb|upright|right|Party logo during the Clark premiership]]
Under Clark, the party charted a more centrist outlook while continuing its recent tradition of being a coalition of federal Liberal and federal Conservative supporters. She immediately raised the minimum wage from $8/hour to $10.25/hour and introduced a province-wide [[Family Day]] similar to Ontario's. Clark became premier during the aftermath of the 2008–09 recession and continued to hold the line on government spending, introducing two deficit budgets before a balanced one for the 2013–14 fiscal year, which included a tax hike on high-income British Columbians. She also sought to take advantage of BC's liquified natural gas (LNG) reserves, positioning the budding LNG industry as a major economic development opportunity over the next decade. While the final years of Gordon Campbell's administration had seen far-reaching and progressive environmental legislation enacted, Clark was more measured in her approach to environmental policy. While continuing with BC's first-in-North-America carbon tax, she promised to freeze the rate during the [[2013 British Columbia general election|2013 election]] and her LNG development aspirations seemed to contradict greenhouse gas emissions targets set by the Campbell government in 2007. She also announced in 2012 that any future pipeline that crosses BC would have to meet five conditions that included environmental requirements and Indigenous consultation. Controversially, she indicated that one of her five conditions would be that BC receives its "fair share" of any revenues that accrue from increased pipeline and tanker traffic. This has put her in direct conflict with the province of Alberta, who sought increased market access for its bitumen through BC ports, yet adamantly refuse any arrangement which would see BC receive any royalties.

In 2011, [[Colin Hansen]] proposed the party change its name in order to avoid confusion with the unrelated [[Liberal Party of Canada]] and to better reflect its status as a coalition of many federal [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]] and Liberal voters.<ref name="NameChange2011">{{Cite news |author=[[The Canadian Press]] |date=May 13, 2011 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-liberals-should-consider-name-change-hansen-1.1032917 |title=B.C. Liberals should consider name change: Hansen |work=[[CBC News]] |access-date=April 13, 2023}}</ref> He did not propose an alternative name. Clark said she would consider a name change but was not in "any rush to do it".<ref name="NameChange2011"/> During the [[2013 British Columbia general election|2013 election]], Clark entered the campaign low in public opinion polls and trailing her main rival, [[Adrian Dix]] of the NDP, by as much as 20 points. The BC Liberals campaign slogan was "Strong Economy, Secure Tomorrow" and highlighted a balanced budget and strong development opportunities in the LNG sector as a reason for voters to elect them for a fourth term in office. Clark brought in strategists affiliated with the [[Ontario Liberal Party]], such as Don Guy and Laura Miller, and federal [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] figures, such as Mike McDonald, to run her office and campaign. The BC Liberals came from behind to secure a fourth term in office; however, Clark was defeated in her Vancouver riding but won a subsequent by-election in the Okanagan riding of [[Westside-Kelowna]]. After the election, she sought a thawing of relations between BC and Alberta over future pipeline projects, signing onto former Alberta premier [[Alison Redford]]'s National Energy Strategy. In early 2014, the Liberals brought down a second straight balanced budget and introduced legislation to change BC's liquor laws to allow liquor sales in some grocery stores and allow children to sit with adults in pubs and restaurants where liquor is served.

In the [[2017 British Columbia general election|2017 election]], the BC Liberals' seat count was reduced to 43, one seat short of a majority.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/politics/b-c-election-results-2017-crucial-vote-counting-starts-monday |title=B.C. Election Results 2017: Crucial vote-counting starts Monday |first1=Rob |last1=Shaw |date=May 18, 2017 |access-date=October 30, 2020 |work=[[Vancouver Sun]]}}</ref> On May 29, 2017, after final vote counting had completed, the [[British Columbia New Democratic Party|BC NDP]] and the [[Green Party of British Columbia|BC Green Party]] agreed to a [[confidence and supply]] agreement to ensure a stable minority government.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://globalnews.ca/news/3486794/b-c-green-party-leader-andrew-weaver-agrees-to-support-john-horgans-ndp |title=B.C. Greens and NDP strike deal for 'stable' minority government |first1=Paula |last1=Baker |date=May 29, 2017 |access-date=October 30, 2020}}
</ref> Their combined 44 seats give them an advantage over the BC Liberals' 43, which was sufficient to [[2017 British Columbian government formation|defeat Clark's government]] on a confidence vote on June 29, 2017, after which Clark resigned as premier (effective July 18, 2017) and the lieutenant governor asked NDP leader [[John Horgan (politician)|John Horgan]] to form a government.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shaw |first1=Rob |title=NDP asked to form next B.C. government after Liberal defeat |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/politics/b-c-ndp-asked-to-form-government-after-liberal-defeat |access-date=June 30, 2017 |work=Vancouver Sun |date=June 29, 2017}}</ref> [[Rich Coleman]] became the party's interim leader following Clark's resignation.