I disagree, the BC Liberals are not just the old Socreds, they are a coalition of both conservatives and liberals. That's why it's not shocking to find members their party run for either the CPC or the LPC. If the Liberals wanted to govern, they would need to find a way to appeal to those on the right who favour the free market, civil liberties, and a welfare state.
Agreed, when I was a member of the NDP I couldn't help but look in awe as the federal NDP seemed to ignore everything it's successful provincial counterparts were doing. It seems like economic illiteracy is a point of pride in the federal party.
Often the stigma around the Liberals is that they seem like the lobby for public unions.
The Liberals could make a platform devoted to diversifying the economy through more funding towards education and the trades. That could be a huge benefit in both urban and rural areas. It would also show the Liberals are more forward thinking than the current crop of PC's.
But the Liberals shouldn't just take up the stock policies. I'd argue that the Liberals should argue for reform of the HRC's for example to ensure protection of freedom of speech and press. They should also be more prominent in the battle for elected senators, which would resonate with a large number of former Reformers. But once again, I haven't seen any of these moves made by the party.
I was hoping for Dave Taylor since he had the best plan for modernising the existing Liberal Party. Unfortunately I haven't seen any real movement to make the party more palatable to the rest of Alberta. If the Liberals don't improve I'd just vote for whichever party was the most likely to gain the seat, whether it be NDP, Liberal, or [assuming Danielle Smith wins] Wildrose Alliance.