He香蕉视频直播檚 been a rural doctor, a big-city lawyer and president of the B.C. Liberal Party, and now he wants to take over the leadership.

Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Andrew Wilkinson announced his bid to succeed Christy Clark Monday, with a lineup of caucus support from around the province.

stresses education in announcement, backed by caucus support

香蕉视频直播� Tom Fletcher (@tomfletcherbc)

Backers include new MLAs Tom Shypitka in Kootenay East and Doug Clovechok from Columbia River-Revelstoke. Veteran MLAs Donna Barnett from Cariboo-Chilcotin. Mike Morris of Prince George-Mackenzie, Michelle Stilwell in Parksville-Qualicum, and long-time cabinet minister Mary Polak from Langley are supporting Wilkinson.

香蕉视频直播淎nd more in the works,香蕉视频直播� Wilkinson, 59, said in an interview with Black Press.

Painted by the NDP as a silver-spoon representative of Vancouver香蕉视频直播檚 wealthy West Side, Wilkinson stresses his roots as an immigrant from Australia at age four, one of five children. His father worked for the federal government in Kamloops, and then moved to Alberta when he was 14, attending public schools.

Wilkinson was in medical school in Edmonton when he won a Rhodes scholarship to study law at Oxford University in the UK, returning to the University of Alberta to finish his medical degree. Then he worked vacation relief for doctors in Campbell River, Lillooet and remote Dease Lake near the Yukon border. With the Social Credit government cutting back on doctors to stem the growth of health care costs, Wilkinson began practising law instead.

In the Clark government, Wilkinson was advanced education minister, serving briefly as Attorney General before the NDP and Green MLAs defeated the B.C. Liberals on their throne speech and formed a minority government this summer.

Asked about the outsider candidacy of Surrey-White Rock MP Dianne Watts, , Wilkinson refrained from criticizing her directly, as potential rival Mike de Jong did.

香蕉视频直播淢y combination of life experience and experience in government makes me ready to take on the NDP,香蕉视频直播� Wilkinson said. 香蕉视频直播淲e have to get ready for an election, which could happen at any time, and there香蕉视频直播檚 no time for boot camp or training wheels in this job.香蕉视频直播�

Party members are voting on ranked ballots with the results to be revealed Feb. 3, as the B.C. Liberals get set to face off in the legislature with the NDP-Green government as it launches its first full budget. There are party debates and forums set for Vancouver, Surrey, Prince George, Nanaimo and the Thompson-Okanagan, plus a forum hosted by the B.C. Liberal Indigenous Network.

香蕉视频直播� Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier is expected to announce his bid for the B.C. Liberal leadership Monday afternoon.

香蕉视频直播� Abbotsford West MLA Mike de Jong intends to announce his decision on a second bid for the party leadership on Tuesday.

香蕉视频直播� Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone is expected to announce his intentions next week.

香蕉视频直播� Vancouver-False Creek MLA and former mayor Sam Sullivan Sept. 21.

香蕉视频直播� Rookie Vancouver-Langara MLA Micheal Lee is announcing his leadership campaign Tuesday in Vancouver.

香蕉视频直播� , whose most recent political experience is president of the Skeena B.C. Liberal constituency and managing the successful campaign of Skeena MLA Ellis Ross, announced her long-shot bid for he leadership last week.