A woman who briefly gave Christy Clark a piece of her mind at a campaign stop this week has become a social media star among the Liberal leader's opponents.
Clark was meeting voters in a North Vancouver grocery store on Thursday when the woman introduced herself, leading to an awkward but short interaction.
"Hi Christy, I'm Linda," she said. "I would never vote for you."
Linda started to explain why but was cut off by Clark, who quickly walked away.
"You don't have to. That's why we live in a democracy," she said.
"Thank goodness," Linda replied as Clark was leaving. "Hopefully you won't get elected in."
The passing moment was recorded by media at the event, and went on to inspire a Twitter hashtag, #IamLinda, that dozens of people used to voice their own reasons for wanting the Liberal leader out of office.
"#IamLinda as my government is only giving lip service to climate change," one user wrote.
Many also accused Clark of being rude for brushing off a constituent, but Max Cameron, a political science professor from the University of British Columbia, said she actually handled it fairly well.
Political campaigning is a tricky business, Cameron said, that often requires quick responses to difficult situations.
"In this case I think Christy Clark probably did the right thing," he said. "There's not a lot to be gained at engaging in a conversation with somebody who's not about to change their mind."
The interaction stood out because there haven't been any major dust-ups captured on the campaign trail so far. NDP Leader John Horgan told CTV News he's likely been spared because he's not an incumbent running on years of policy choices that can potentially have upset voters.
On Friday, Clark addressed the interaction, which she described as rare but not completely unique, at a news conference.
"People should vote for the candidates that they like and the plan they like," Clark said. "She says she didn't vote for me last time and she's never voted Liberal and she never will, and she's not going to vote for me again. Perfect. That's her right."
With files from CTV Vancouver's Scott Roberts
#IamLinda because I'm tired of our PAC fundraising $30k a year to supply my sons school with basic supplies #bced
— Sarah Miller (@waitinginBC) April 28, 2017
#Iamlinda because @bcliberals selling out BCs public services for personal gain. #johnhorgan & #NDP ARE the people!
— Nick Boudin (@NickBoudin) April 28, 2017
pic.twitter.com/ct9g61ttVy
#IamLinda as my government is only giving lip service to climate change. #BCpoli #Elxnbc17 pic.twitter.com/jf2iWRLvwr
— StumpyJoChilds (@StumpyJoChilds) April 28, 2017