Christy Clark rallies B.C. Liberals months ahead of 2017 election

VANCOUVER – British Columbia's premier is calling on her party's volunteers and supporters to come together ahead of what she promises will be a very difficult election next spring.

Christy Clark spoke at the B.C. Liberal party's convention Sunday, saying members need to prove to the province that the party is one residents can believe in.

She said the government has had many success in recent years, including a balanced budget, job creation and funding social programs, such as those for single moms and kids looking to be adopted.

British Columbians will vote on May 9, 2017, and Clark said over the next few months, her party's opponents will tell residents that she is not perfect.

The premier criticized the opposition NDP, calling it a party of "ideologues" and "quitters," and told her supporters the next campaign will be their toughest yet.

The broad-ranging speech also criticized the federal government for a lack of spending on helping to prepare B.C. to respond to tanker spills along the West Coast, but Clark said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can change that "historical wrong."