Beyond the Ballot: Liberals held 'a debate where they didn’t debate'

Renee Merrifield has sat down for her weekly Beyond the Ballot chat with KelownaNow video host Jim Csek.

The businesswoman and ex-MLA – who described herself as a “recovering politician” – discussed last night’s Liberal leadership debate, British Columbia’s economy, threatened US tariffs and more.

Merrifield said the debate was a “big nothing,” adding that she’d “never seen a debate where they didn’t debate.”

It was merely a “love-in against Trump,” the former Kelowna–Mission representative said, pointing out that governments in recent years have sought to fearmonger about the likes of Trump and COVID-19 in recent years.

Merrifield also expressed her fury – saying she’d been “livid” and “irate” – about the “absolutely disgusting” practice of drug distribution known as “safer supply.”

It comes after the BC government announced it was ending take-home drug distribution after a leaked Ministry of Health report claimed a “significant portion” of opioids handed out under the program ended up being trafficked.

“That makes me so mad I can hardly see straight,” she said. “You know, when I was an MLA, we hammered and hammered and hammered. And I'm going to give credit where credit is due: MLA Elenore Sturko absolutely exposed over and over and over again the amount of safe supply that was being diverted into illicit drugs.”

EN DIRECT : le débat en français de la course à la chefferie du Parti libéral // LIVE: French Liberal Leadership Debate https://t.co/NtbZn5DVFJ

— Liberal Party (@liberal_party) February 25, 2025

During her chat, Merrifield also said:

• Trump began warning about tariffs months ago, but the federal government hasn’t acted

• That it was “uncouth” for Ruby Dhalla to learn during a TV interview that she’d been disqualified from the Liberal leadership race, rather than directly from the party

• The other Liberal leadership contenders looked like “props” for Mark Carney during Tuesday debate

• Pierre Poilievre speaks “astoundingly good” French

• That it’s impossible to “dance around” the carbon tax by talking about shifting it from the consumer to businesses; instead, it must be ditched “altogether”

• “Part of” her wants Trump to keep bashing Canada since he’s losing support in the US by pursuing such an unpopular policy