Skip to main content

Blair Lekstrom is seen in this January 17, 2009 file photo in Victoria.Darryl Dyck/ The Canadian Press

On the eve of a major cabinet shuffle, Premier Christy Clark has lost another senior minister. Blair Lekstrom, the only B.C. Liberal MLA who gave up his cabinet post in 2010 to protest his government's imposition of the harmonized sales tax, has announced he will not be running in the next provincial election. The popular Mr. Lekstrom had been restored to cabinet, as minister of transportation, by Ms. Clark when she took over the party leadership last year.

B.C. finance minister Kevin Falcon and education minister George Abbott have already announced they will not be running, prompting the premier to restructure her cabinet lineup as her party prepares for a daunting election campaign next spring. The shuffle is expected to be unveiled as early as Wednesday.

The B.C. Conservative party has sought to recruit B.C. Liberals, but Mr. Lekstrom said he has no intention of joining another political party. "I have no other plans right now," he said in an interview Tuesday night. He said he will support the B.C. Liberal candidate in his riding in the next election. "I will work on behalf of the party."

"I leave to pursue new opportunities in life and want to again thank Premier Clark for her support," Mr. Lekstrom said. "I know that she will continue to lead this province in a positive direction."

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe