Wilf Hanni - Reform Party of BC

Reform Party of BC

The Reform Party of BC is a conservative populist party that won two seats in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and 9.27% of the popular vote in the May 28, 1996 provincial election. The leader, Jack Weisgerber, who had defeated Hanni for the party leadership in 1994, resigned.

At the Reform Party's August 30, 1997 leadership convention in Surrey, Hanni was elected leader over John Motiuk and Adrian Wade. A victory in the September 15, 1997 Surrey-White Rock by-election by the Liberal Party left the Reform Party in disarray as the Liberals appeared poised to emerge as the main right-wing party. By the end of November, both Reform MLAs had left the party. Neufeld joined the Liberals. Former Reform Leader Weisgerber left Reform to sit as an independent member of the BC Legislature. Party president David Secord quit, party executives on Vancouver Island had staged a mass resignation, and several former candidates had followed Neufeld's lead and joined the Liberals.

Following nine months with Hanni as Leader, Hanni lost a vote of confidence at the party's annual convention, and was forced to resign. The party drafted former British Columbia Social Credit Party leader and BC premier, Bill Vander Zalm to take over. Vander Zalm was unable to halt the slide, and the Reform party now exists largely in name only.