The B.C. Liberalssa国际传媒� leadership debate Sunday in Nanaimo underlined some of the different ways the party could be headed.
Six candidates sa国际传媒� Dianne Watts, Mike de Jong, Sam Sullivan, Todd Stone, Michael Lee and Andrew Wilkinson sa国际传媒� attended the forum at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre to talk about transportation, education and other topics.
As the party chooses a new leader, Wilkinson said the Liberals can be proud of their record of economic prosperity and balanced budgets in B.C.
sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e going to see the NDP on a spending marathon in the years to come and we have to be a party to stand up for balanced budgets, stand up for fiscal responsibility and make sure we donsa国际传媒檛 spend money we donsa国际传媒檛 have,sa国际传媒� he said.
Lee noted that the Liberals won only one seat on Vancouver Island and suggested the party underperformed in urban ridings, as well.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 not because we donsa国际传媒檛 care. We just didnsa国际传媒檛 demonstrate it,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淪o issues around affordability, issues around transportation, we need to plan better and we need to articulate that better. Thatsa国际传媒檚 the reason we need a different approach. Wesa国际传媒檙e not going to regain seats on this Island or in urban ridings just by talking about balanced budgets and a triple-A credit rating.sa国际传媒�
Sullivan talked about privatization of liquor sales, some privatization of health care and even of education with talk of charter schools.
De Jong expanded on previously pitched notions of government decentralization.
sa国际传媒淲here is it written in this age of technology that government must all be located in Victoria?sa国际传媒� he asked. sa国际传媒淚s it revolutionary to at least consider the possibility that the B.C. Ferries corporation could be headquartered in Nanaimo? We can do it with various departments of government.sa国际传媒�
Ferries were an area of focus at Sundaysa国际传媒檚 debate and Watts said the fares are making the crossings unaffordable.
sa国际传媒淲hen you look at the system and you look at how it functions and how it moves, we need to be making sure that we have affordability built into that entire system,sa国际传媒� she said.
Stone, former transportation minister, said the ferry system wasnsa国际传媒檛 sustainable four and a half years ago.
sa国际传媒淏ecause of tough decisions, because of sacrifices in coastal British Columbia, it is sustainable and fares can now start to come down,sa国际传媒� he said.
Stone said he wishes to continue to reduce fares and said sports teams and school groups should get free ferry service, a concept Wilkinson questioned.
sa国际传媒淢y core principle as a B.C. Liberal is you donsa国际传媒檛 spend your kidssa国际传媒� money on operating costs today. You pay your own way,sa国际传媒� he said.
Sullivan suggested B.C. could take the example of the Washington state ferries and look to reduce staffing on vessels to provide more service in other ways.
sa国际传媒淚 believe that a lot of the regulations are too toughsa国际传媒a国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檇 like to be able to challenge the federal regulators and see if we could get a much more effective, cost-efficient ferry service.sa国际传媒�
Candidates were allowed two opportunities to directly question one another and Stone directed both his queries at Watts. First he said, sa国际传媒淵ou talk about a new vision for British Columbia sa国际传媒� but the details of that vision have been pretty limited,sa国际传媒� and then suggested that she could have done more, as a Conservative MP, to help the B.C. Liberals in last springsa国际传媒檚 election.
sa国际传媒淚 have to be honest. I didnsa国际传媒檛 really see that contribution from you and it could have made a difference. We might not be having this discussion today,sa国际传媒� Stone said.
Watts replied that she sa国际传媒渄idnsa国际传媒檛 realize I carried that much power that if I had done more that we would have won, but thank you for that,sa国际传媒� and said she did try to support provincial Liberal candidates in her federal riding.
De Jong left the debate early to fly back to his Abbotsford riding to attend a celebration of life for a police officer killed in the line of duty, Const. John Davidson, but as he left, de Jong said all of the candidates are good people and sa国际传媒渋t speaks well of who our party is.sa国际传媒�
He said the B.C. Liberalssa国际传媒� path back to government will involve visiting every corner of the province and listening to people.
sa国际传媒淎nd generate the ideas from within our communities and within our party and take that vision to British Columbia rooted in the free-enterprise principles that have made this party great and have made British Columbia the envy of Canada,sa国际传媒� he said.
The party will choose its next leader the first week of February.
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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