Mike de Jong brings a more impressive resume to his second run for leadership of the B.C. Liberal Party, as a finance minister with the best track record in the country.
That string of balanced budgets and growing surpluses may be his biggest asset, and also a liability with party members who are still recovering from the party香蕉视频直播檚 slow-motion fall from power over the summer. Legendary for his frugality, the Abbotsford West MLA was too frugal for some voters, leading to lost seats in Metro Vancouver and a lost grip on power as the NDP and B.C. Greens teamed up to form a minority government that could last for years to come.
Will party members and leadership rivals hold that against him, de Jong was asked in an interview with Black Press as he prepared to launch his leadership campaign on Tuesday.
香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 not sure what I香蕉视频直播檒l hear,香蕉视频直播� de Jong said. 香蕉视频直播淚 hope I hear some new ideas from the candidates, because that香蕉视频直播檚 my intention, to come to this with new ideas and try to appeal to that family, that mom sitting at a table with her kids, who are facing some challenges right now.
香蕉视频直播淎nd here we are in the richest province in the country, with the best economy, the best track record for job creation. We should be able to ensure that we香蕉视频直播檙e sharing that wealth and that opportunity equitably.香蕉视频直播�
house leader on public subsidy for parties
香蕉视频直播� Tom Fletcher (@tomfletcherbc)
De Jong has caucus support including Abbotsford-Mission MLA Simon Gibson, Chilliwack MLA John Martin, Richmond North Centre MLA and former international trade minister Teresa Wat, and he says 香蕉视频直播渙thers will be on board香蕉视频直播� as the leadership campaign progresses.
Party members are to vote on ranked ballots with the results to be revealed Feb. 3, as the B.C. Liberals get set to face off in the legislature with the NDP-Green government as it launches its first full budget. There are party forums set for Vancouver, Surrey, Prince George, Nanaimo and the Thompson-Okanagan, plus a forum hosted by the B.C. Liberal Indigenous Network.
De Jong enters a growing field of candidates, including the front-runner in caucus support, Vancouver-Quilchena MLA , Peace River South MLA , Vancouver-False Creek MLA Sam Sullivan, and likely Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone in the days to come.
Also competing is Surrey-White Rock MP , who intends to quit her federal seat to enter B.C. politics, a decision de Jong was first to criticize.
香蕉视频直播淚 think she will have some questions from long-standing members of the party about why she chose to remain so silent at a time when the free enterprise team was in a tough electoral fight, when many of her [federal Conservative] colleagues did not,香蕉视频直播� de Jong said.
Another challenge for de Jong and other leadership candidates is the shadow cast by former premier Christy Clark香蕉视频直播檚 post-election throne speech that borrowed an income assistance increase, cancelling tolls on Metro Vancouver bridges and other measures from the NDP platform. It was based on substantially increased forecasts for income, real estate and sales tax revenues in the current fiscal year that were not revealed until a month after the May election.
香蕉视频直播淔inance ministers write budgets, and premiers write throne speeches,香蕉视频直播� de Jong said. 香蕉视频直播淎nd in this case, Premier Clark believed that she wanted to signal, in a dramatic way, some changes. And to be fair, it was in June that we discovered the good year we were having was actually a great year, and we got updated numbers.香蕉视频直播�
tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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