B.C. Liberals gather in Whistler to prepare for spring election

The B.C. Liberal Party is gathering this weekend in Whistler for its annual convention and Premier Gordon Campbell, who will be seeking a third term in May, is expected to warn party members to start preparing for a tough spring election.

Campbell delivers the keynote address on Saturday and is expected to look ahead to the May 12 election, when he expects the economy to be the big issue.

The governing Liberals were defeated this week in two metro Vancouver ridings, with the NDP retaining one seat and taking the other from the Liberals.

On election night, Campbell conceded the two losses were not entirely unexpected because governing parties have only won a single byelection in B.C. in 40 years.

And while this week's New Democrat victories don't dramatically change the balance of power in the legislature, political experts say they send signals that change may be in the wind.

University of Victoria political scientist Dennis Pilon said byelections are not reliable indicators of how people will vote in the future, but they are often signs of larger issues.

Vancouver political strategist Brad Zubyk said politics is about momentum and no party wants to head into a general election having lost prior byelections.