Gordon Wilson (Canadian politician)
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Gordon Wilson (born 1949 in Vancouver and raised in Kenya) is a Canadian politician from British Columbia. Before entering politics, he was a college lecturer in geography.
Prior to becoming leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party in 1987, Wilson was a largely unknown political figure in BC. His party had been in the political wilderness for some years after not electing any Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in the 1979, 1983, and 1986 elections. He ran unsuccessfully in a by-election in Vancouver in 1988.
In the 1991 provincial election there was great resentment towards the ruling Social Credit Party of British Columbia and Premier Rita Johnston, but also skepticism towards the opposition New Democratic Party. As a third choice, Wilson's party grew in the polls, but not significantly. His biggest break came after he successfully took legal action to be included in the televised leaders' debate, along with Premier Johnston and NDP leader Michael Harcourt. During the debate Johnston and Harcourt exchanged many bitter attacks, while Wilson, still not considered a serious contender, was able to successfully portray himself as an "outsider" who was above the partisan bickering of the other two parties.
After the debate, Wilson's support dramatically rose, surprising even him. When the election finally came Wilson's Liberals ended up finishing second place in both legislative seats and the popular vote, and becoming the official opposition to a new NDP government, and relegating the Socreds to a distant third.
Wilson was perceived by some observers as being more lucky than skilled in his 1991 electoral success. He was elected along with 16 other MLA's (almost all of whom had very limited political experience). He openly admitted that his second-place victory was a surprise and, as a relatively inexperienced politician, his leadership of the party was erratic. He quickly managed to alienate most of his caucus, especially his more conservative supporters. A call for a leadership review came in 1993. He was challenged by former provincial Liberal leader Gordon Gibson and Vancouver Mayor Gordon Campbell. Due to an influx of conservatives into the B.C. Liberal Party, and with strong support from Gary Collins, Campbell was successful in winning the leadership and deposing Wilson.
Wilson left the Liberal Party along with fellow MLA Judi Tyabji and the two formed their own party, the Progressive Democratic Alliance. They did not manage to build much of a following and only Wilson was re-elected as a member of the provincial legislature under the new party label. With about 6% of the popular vote in the 1996 British Columbia election, the party placed fourth after the NDP, Liberals, and BC Reform Party.
In 1997 he accepted a cabinet position in the NDP government, which was widely criticized among his former supporters.
He made a run for the leadership of the provincial NDP in 2000 but withdrew on the eve of the vote, when it was apparent he would place third.
He lost his bid for re-election in the May 2001 provincial election.
Since the election he and Tyabji have been working to develop trade relations with India. He is the author of the book, A Civilized Revolution.
