By Ian Holmes

BC Liberal leadership hopeful focuses on rebuilding trust

Oct 3, 2017 | 11:16 AM

NANAIMO — A BC Liberal Party leadership candidate is vowing to help rebuild the party after a hard fall from grace following 16 years in power.

Dianne Watts mingled with people and answered questions from reporters at a downtown Nanaimo coffee shop Tuesday morning (Oct. 3) after recently stepping down as a Conservative MP in her South Surrey-White Rock riding.

Watts said a Liberal Throne Speech presented early in the summer, which was a reversal from what the party campaigned on, was a “head-scratcher” and caused a lot of confusion.

“What we have to do is rebuild the trust of our party members, rebuild the trust of British Columbians, because when they heard that Throne Speech they were concerned, ‘Why would we believe anything that you say?’” Watts told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Watts said there was a clear disconnect between the Liberals and voters, despite a long track record of strong economic performance. She said the party has to step back and re-establish trust with party members and the public at large.

24/7 support

Major supportive housing complex set to open in Nanaimo

1h ago

whale rescue

Killer whale calf trapped in B.C. swims out of lagoon

3h ago

permanent home

'We're hugely grateful:' Nanaimo Men's Shed group finds a place to call home

7h ago

Watts said British Columbians wanted more attention paid to issues like affordability, transportation and childcare. She said it was clear watching as an outsider the party didn’t engage properly with the people over the last few years. Watts said the result was losing 11 seats and relinquishing power.

“One of the worst things you can do in politics is take your base for granted. When you do that you lose so many people and not listening to the voters, those are things that lose elections and it certainly lost this election,” said the former longtime mayor of Surrey.

Retired VIU political science professor Allan Warnke believes at this stage Watts will “fairly easily” secure the Liberal leadership. He said core party members who backed former Premier Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark is still “very powerful” and will determine the next leader.

“That faction of the party is very, very strong and high on Dianne Watts,” Warnke said. “For that reason alone I think it’s very fair to say she has a strong inside track to take it all.”

Several other candidates have declared their intentions to become the party’s next leader, including Mike De Jong, Todd Stone, Andrew Wilkinson and Sam Sullivan.

BC Liberal Party members are slated to pick a new leader in early February.

ian@NanaimoNewsNOW.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes