B.C. political scene to change come election time, says expert

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Another major player is rising onto B.C.'s political stage, and you can thank anger over the HST for that. A political science expert thinks B.C. voters had enough of both the Liberals and the NDP, and will start looking at other options.

The B.C. Conservative party touts a 500 per cent growth in membership, though it won't say how many members it has.  However, the party is confident some noteworthy politicians will trickle over, and it will have a roster of 85 candidates for a strong campaign in 2013.

In any case, political scientist Dr. John Redekop says the Liberals likely don't stand a chance next time around. "If the Conservatives gain somewhat, but don't become a dominant party, that's the best thing that could happen to the NDP. It would split the right half of the spectrum."

Redekop says there's enough anger over the HST that voters won't just forget about the controversy come election time. But he says the Premier and Finance Minister will likely hold on till the very end, and not give in to calls for their resignations.