Christy Clark won the B.C. Liberal leadership and the provinceB次元官网网址檚 premiership with the public support of only one sitting Liberal MLA B次元官网网址� a little-known backbencher at that.

That fact is telling, for a couple of reasons.

Kevin Falcon and George Abbott split the support of the remaining government MLAs between them, a point that speaks to the current regime favouring some version of the status quo.

On the other hand, roughly 52 per cent of those who cast ballots in SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 leadership poll B次元官网网址� more than half of eligible voters werenB次元官网网址檛 card-carrying Liberals when Gordon Campbell resigned B次元官网网址� felt confident this B次元官网网址渙utsiderB次元官网网址� was the best person for the job.

Since sheB次元官网网址檚 been out of political spotlight for six years, Clark may give the Liberals their best chance to defeat the NDP. Unless, that is, she makes a major gaffe on policy B次元官网网址� read: the HST B次元官网网址� or gives voters any sniff that this is still Gordon CampbellB次元官网网址檚 Liberal Party.

Many voters will remember Clark as CampbellB次元官网网址檚 deputy premier and minister of education from the time the Liberals took office in 2001 to 2004, a time of heavy across-the-board cuts to ministry budgets.

Nonetheless, British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 second female premier (Rita Johnston led for 200 days in 1991) B次元官网网址� a woman who backed away from the messy political fray to focus on raising her son B次元官网网址� deserves a chance to lead the province out of a difficult time.

How she manages, under a tight fiscal framework, to initiate her B次元官网网址淔amilies First Agenda for ChangeB次元官网网址� focus B次元官网网址� a campaign slogan seemingly lifted from an NDP brochure B次元官网网址� will go a long way toward determining the publicB次元官网网址檚 view of Clark and her government leading up to the next election.

She could wind up B.C.B次元官网网址檚 second short-term woman premier or be the breath of fresh air the Liberals need to recapture the publicB次元官网网址檚 favour.