Former B.C. premier Christy Clark bowed out of the running for the federal Liberal leadership on Tuesday, saying the race is too short for her to mount a successful campaign.
In a statement to her supporters, Clark said that her French skills are not developed enough and that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision last week to step aside and trigger a short leadership race "did not leave enough time" for the party to renew itself and grow.
"I have made the difficult decision to step back," she said. "While we have come a long way, in a short time, there is simply not enough time to mount a successful campaign and for me to effectively connect with francophone Canadians in their language. I have worked hard at improving my French but it’s not where it needs to be today."
Clark's announcement comes just days after she was forced to backtrack from her claim that she was never a member of the Conservative party.
In an interview with CBC Radio that aired over the weekend, Clark denied that she became a party member and voted for former Quebec premier Jean Charest in the 2022 Conservative leadership race that elected Pierre Poilievre.
Clark said in the interview she never joined the party or received a ballot for the race. But the Conservative party provided a screenshot of their electronic records showing Clark was an active party member from June 2, 2022 to June 30, 2023.
Clark later posted a facepalm emoji on social media, said she misspoke in the interview and acknowledged that she had backed Charest to stop Poilievre from winning.
