Clark's New Team: 'Rowing in Same Direction'

British Columbians returned the BC Liberal Party to power this week, but the team that will be assembling in Victoria is very different from the one before the election.

It's a point not lost on Christy Clark, who for the first time since becoming premier will be working with a team she's had a hand in shaping.

"It's easier when you're leading your own team," she said during a press conference the afternoon after winning an unexpected victory. She noted that she became leader at a point when the party was coming out of a period of turmoil. "I think we're all going to be rowing in the same direction from now on."

The party had won the 2009 election on a fudged budget, then introduced the HST in exchange for $1.6 billion from the federal government, leading to a public uprising and the resignation of Clark's predecessor Gordon Campbell.

Clark won the leadership with the support of just one sitting MLA, Harry Bloy, and in the months before going to the polls faced criticism from several Liberal MLAs, a significant number of whom had decided not to run again.

Half new, half returning

"Let me start by saying how proud I am of the team I ran with this election," Clark told reporters. They worked hard and presented a consistent vision on jobs, fiscal responsibility and paying off the province's debt, she said. "All of them want to be there and all of them fought hard to be there."

Significantly, the 50 BC Liberal's elected according to the preliminary count included 25 veterans of the legislature and 25 new MLAs. The returning veterans include party anchors like Rich Coleman, Shirley Bond and Mike de Jong.

And the new MLAs include a dozen or so who it's easy to imagine in cabinet, including Darryl Plecas, Mike Bernier, Greg Kyllo, Peter Fassbender and Andrew Wilkinson.

In contrast, the NDP's 33 elected MLAs include just six who are new, with the other 27 returning. Fresh NDP faces include likely strong performers Judy Darcy, George Heyman and David Eby.

The Green Party elected its first ever MLA in Andrew Weaver and independent Vicki Huntington was re-elected.

"The vigour and the appetite of the group of MLAs that have been elected this time is going to be unparallelled," said Clark. "A lot of people would say it's time for renewal in British Columbia." There was also a desire to renew the BC Liberal party, she said. "You can't do that without new candidates."

Clark said she'll meet early next week with all elected Liberal MLAs. The final count of the ballots will begin on May 27.

Newly elected BC Liberals:

Simon Gibson, Abbotsford-Mission
Darryl Plecas, Abbotsford South
Linda Larson, Boundary-Similkameen
Coralee Oakes, Cariboo North
John Martin, Chilliwack

Laurie Throness, Chilliwack-Hope
Steve Kim, Coquitlam-Maillardville
Scott Hamiliton, Delta North
Jackie Tegart, Fraser-Nicola
Todd Stone, Kamloops-South Thompson

Doug Bing, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows
Michelle Stilwell, Parksville-Qualicum
Mike Bernier, Peace River South
Dan Ashton, Penticton
Linda Reimer, Port Moody-Coquitlam

Mike Morris, Prince George-Mackenzie
Teresa Wat, Richmond Centre
Greg Kyllo, Shuswap
Peter Fassbender, Surrey-Fleetwood
Marvin Hunt, Surrey-Panorama

Amrik Virk, Surrey-Tynehead
Sam Sullivan, Vancouver-False Creek
Suzanne Anton, Vancouver-Fraserview
Andrew Wilkinson, Vancouver-Quilchena
Jordan Sturdy, West Vancouver-Sea to Sky

Returning BC Liberal MLAs:

Michael de Jong, Abbbotsford West
Richard Lee, Burnaby North
Donna Barnett, Cariboo-Chilcotin
Don McRae, Comox Valley
Douglas Horne, Coquitlam-Burke Mountain

Rich Coleman, Fort Langley-Aldergrove
Terry Lake, Kamloops-North Thompson
Norm Letnick, Kelowna-Lake Country
Steve Thomson, Kelowna-Mission
Bill Bennett, Kootenay East

Mary Polak, Langley
Marc Dalton, Maple Ridge-Mission
John Rustad, Nechako Lakes
Naomi Yamamoto, North Vancouver-Lonsdale
Jane Thornthwaite, North Vancouver-Seymour

Pat Pimm, Peace River North
Shirley Bond, Prince George-Valemount
Linda Reid, Richmond East
John Yap, Richmond-Steveston
Stephanie Cadieux, Surrey-Cloverdale

Gordon Hogg, Surrey-White Rock
Moira Stilwell, Vancouver-Langara
Eric Foster, Vernon-Monashee
Ralph Sultan, West Vancouver-Capilano
Ben Stewart, Westside-Kelowna

Newly elected BC NDP MLAs:

Jane Shin, Burnaby-Lougheed
Judy Darcy, New Westminster
Jennifer Rice, North Coast
Gary Holman, Saanich North and the Islands
George Heyman, Vancouver-Fairview
David Eby, Vancouver-Point Grey

Returning BC NDP MLAs:

Scott Fraser, Alberni-Pacific Rim
Kathy Corrigan, Burnaby-Deer Lake
Raj Chouhan, Burnaby-Edmonds
Norm Macdonald, Columbia River-Revelstoke
Bill Routley, Cowichan Valley

Maurine Karagianis, Esquimalt-Royal Roads
John Horgan, Juan de Fuca
Katrine Conroy, Kootenay West
Leonard Krog, Nanaimo
Doug Routley, Nanaimo-North Cowichan

Michelle Mungall, Nelson-Creston
Claire Trevena, North Island
Mike Farnworth, Port Coquitlam
Nicholas Simons, Powell River-Sunshine Coast
Lana Popham, Saanich South

Robin Austin, Skeena
Doug Donaldson, Stikine
Sue Hammell, Surrey-Green Timbers
Harry Bains, Surrey-Newton
Bruce Ralston, Surrey-Whalley

Shane Simpson, Vancouver-Hastings
Mable Elmore, Vancouver-Kensington
Adrian Dix, Vancouver-Kingsway
Jenny Kwan, Vancouver-Mount Pleasant
Spencer Chandra Herbert, Vancouver-West End

Carole James, Victoria-Beacon Hill
Rob Fleming, Victoria-Swan Lake

Newly elected Green Party MLA:

Andrew Weaver, Oak Bay-Gordon Head

Returning Independent MLA:

Vicki Huntington, Delta South