Editing BC United (section)

=== Falcon leadership, name change, and campaign suspension: since 2022 ===
[[Kevin Falcon]], a minister under Campbell and Clark, was elected leader of the BC Liberals on February 5, 2022.<ref name="Meissner4" /> During his leadership campaign, Falcon pledged to rename and rebrand the party. At the 2022 party convention, delegates passed a resolution to move forward with the name-change process, beginning with consultations with the party membership before putting it to a vote by the end of the year.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Charlebois |first=Brieanna |date=June 12, 2022 |title=B.C. Liberal leader Kevin Falcon sets sights on 2024, party name change |work=[[Vancouver Sun]] |agency=[[The Canadian Press]] |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/politics/bc-liberals-vote-to-change-name |access-date=April 13, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 11, 2022 |title=B.C. Liberals approve process to consider party name change |work=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-liberals-name-change-possible-by-end-of-2022-1.6485914 |access-date=April 13, 2023}}</ref> After a province-wide survey, "BC United" was put forward as the potential new name for the party.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Michael |date=September 27, 2022 |title=BC Liberals could be known as BC United |work=[[CityNews]] |url=https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2022/09/27/bc-liberals-name-bc-united/ |access-date=April 13, 2023}}</ref> The name was then put to party members on November 13,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowman |first=Greg |date=November 13, 2022 |title=BC Liberal members to vote on name change |work=[[CityNews]] |url=https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2022/11/13/bc-liberal-party-name-change/ |access-date=April 13, 2023}}</ref> and on November 16, it was announced that the name change had been approved by roughly 80 per cent.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Nassar |first1=Hana Mae |last2=Bowman |first2=Greg |date=November 16, 2022 |title=BC Liberals vote to change name to BC United |work=[[CityNews]] |url=https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2022/11/13/bc-liberal-party-name-change/ |access-date=April 13, 2023}}</ref> The name change was later ratified and took effect on April 12, 2023.<ref name="CBCNameChange">{{cite news |date=April 12, 2023 |title=B.C. Liberal Party to officially become B.C. United today |work=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/liberal-bc-united-name-change-1.6807593 |access-date=April 12, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=B.C. Liberal members vote to officially change party name to B.C. United |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-liberal-name-change-1.6653464 |access-date=November 16, 2022|work=CBC News |date=November 16, 2022}}</ref> 

The name change preceded a significant drop in polling numbers for the party, with the [[Conservative Party of British Columbia|BC Conservatives]] – led by former Liberal MLA [[John Rustad]], who defected shortly before the name change was finalized – surpassing them as the second most popular party in the province according to polls. After polling at 33 percent in the immediate aftermath of the name change, BC United suffered a further MLA defection as BC United MLA [[Bruce Banman]] crossed the floor to the Conservatives, as the party dropped to 19 percent in the polls, 6 points behind the Conservatives by that September. In 2024, two more BC United MLAs, [[Lorne Doerkson]] and [[Elenore Sturko]], defected to the BC Conservatives. In the second quarter of 2024, the BC Conservatives surpassed United in terms of money gained from donations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DeRosa |first=Katie |date=July 10, 2024 |title=B.C. NDP lead in political donations, but Conservatives surging |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-ndp-lead-in-political-donations-b-c-conservatives-surge-1.7259917 |website=CBC}}</ref> In the lead-up to the [[2024 British Columbia general election|2024 election]], BC United suffered further defections from members and candidates.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 5, 2023 |title=B.C. Government Report Card: October 2023 |url=https://leger360.com/surveys/b-c-government-report-card-october-2023/ |access-date=October 5, 2023 |website=Leger |language=en-GB}}</ref> Some thought that the name change led to voters not knowing that BC United was a continuation of the BC Liberals;<ref>{{Cite web |last1=MacMahon |first1=Martin |last2=Crawford |first2=Emma |date=September 26, 2023 |title=BC United support takes hit after name change: poll |url=https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/09/26/bc-united-name-change-support-poll/#:~:text=BC%20United%20support%20takes%20hit%20after%20name%20change:%20poll&text=Mario%20Canseco,%20president%20of%20Research,dropped%20its%20BC%20Liberal%20name. |access-date=October 5, 2023 |website=CityNews Vancouver}}</ref> a [[Léger (company)|Léger]] poll released in October 2023 found that a third of voters did not know about the name change.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 5, 2023 |title=B.C. Government Report Card: October 2023 |url=https://leger360.com/surveys/b-c-government-report-card-october-2023/ |access-date=October 5, 2023 |website=Leger |language=en-GB}}</ref> Another poll by Léger in August 2024 suggested that the party was primarily losing its traditional faction of voters who support the [[Conservative Party of Canada]] federally to the BC Conservatives.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 9, 2024 |title=Government of British Columbia Report Card |url=https://leger360.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Media-Report-BC-Government-Report-Card-August-2024-Aug-9-2024.pdf#page=9 |website=Leger}}</ref>

On August 28, 2024, Falcon announced that BC United would suspend its political campaigning, with Falcon endorsing the BC Conservatives, saying "[[John Rustad]] and I haven't always agreed on everything, but one thing is clear: our province cannot take another four years of the NDP." Falcon said this was done to prevent [[Spoiler effect|vote splitting]] in competitive ridings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kevin Falcon attempting to suspend BC United’s campaign in fall election {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10719653/kevin-falcon-fold-bc-united-party-suspend-campaign/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Steacy |first=Lisa |date=August 28, 2024 |title=BC United suspends campaign amid surge in support for BC Conservatives |url=https://bc.ctvnews.ca/bc-united-to-suspend-campaign-amid-surge-in-support-for-bc-conservatives-sources-1.7017556 |website=[[CIVT-DT|CTV News Vancouver]]}}</ref> While 18 nominated BC United candidates, including five incumbent BC United MLAs, ran for re-election as independent or unaffiliated candidates in the [[2024 British Columbia general election]], none were successful.<ref>{{cite news |title=B.C. election: No ex-BC United candidates projected to win their seats |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10820274/bc-election-independents-united-conservatives/ |access-date=October 20, 2024 |work=[[Global News]] |date=October 20, 2024}}</ref> Falcon remained as leader following the election. In February 2025, former BC United MLA [[Karin Kirkpatrick]] called for him to resign, saying that his continued presence was preventing the party from rebuilding and raising funds to pay its debts.<ref>{{cite news |last=DeRosa |first=Katie |date=February 6, 2025 |title=Calls grow for Kevin Falcon to resign as B.C. United leader, but the party says now's not the time |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/kevin-falcon-resignation-calls-1.7452616 |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=[[CBC News]]}}</ref> Falcon refused to resign, however, stating that a leadership contest would further drain the party's financial resources. Consequently, Kirkpatrick left the party and founded the [[CentreBC]] party with several other former BC United MLAs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=DeRosa |first1=Katie |title=Former B.C. United MLA courts centrist voters with new political party |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/karin-kirkpatrick-new-political-party-centre-b-c-1.7506533 |website=CBC News |access-date=13 April 2025}}</ref>