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Originally Posted by Docere
BC used to be the "populist" capital of Canada, with leaders such as Vander Zalm and WAC Bennett (and on the left you had Dave Barrett). The groovy West Coast province also enthusiastically embraced the Reform Party in the 90s.
Fast forward to today "boring" Ontario has Doug Ford as Premier, Quebec is swinging heavily toward the CAQ and even Rachel Notley in Alberta seems to sounding like an "Eastern bastards freeze in the dark" Albertan in order to stave off the united right under Jason Kenney.
Meanwhile BC today has "dull and competent" John Horgan as premier, and two patricians leading the Liberal and Green parties. The BC Conservative Party went nowhere.
Andrew Wilkinson's main concern seems to be the "plight" of the $3 million homeowner. There were no right-wing populist challengers in the BC Liberal leadership race.
Why is this? Real estate boom making people feel less disaffected? West Coast culture in general? The name "Liberal" scaring away the hard-right from the BC Liberal Party?
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Populism is not a political ideology, but rather, a style. A method as it were. Right-wing populists like Trump or left-wing populists like Bernie Sanders use the same method to tap into a vast field of disaffected voters -- to paint society being run by some powerful elites at the top, and then to pivot on the idea that they are here to speak for the middle class and the common man.
Bill VanderScam was a disaster, so it stands to reason that populism fell when he did. In more recent years, Gordon Campbell was a bit of a populist, but not to the same degree as Vander Zalm. Also, populism worked as a method to defeating the HST (thanks again VanderScam!)