Dianne Watts has a long and varied history of holding elected positions in B.C., and she brought her experience to meet Prince George's B.C. Liberal Party members on Tuesday.
Watts, the former councillor and mayor of Surrey plus the incumbent Member of Parliament for the federal riding of South Surrey--White Rock, is among the candidates vying for the position of party leader. She bowed out of Ottawa to do it.
"I looked at what happened in the last provincial election, I saw the number of seats we lost in the Lower Mainland, what was unfolding between the Greens and NDP (forming an alliance), the stuff in the Throne Speech, and I just knew my place was back in B.C.," she said. "I did not expect Christy (Clark, then-premier and BC Liberal leader) to resign, and when she did, I thought long and hard about what I could do to help. I got a lot of calls. I had given the last 20 years to public office, and I knew I could bring a fresh voice and fresh eyes to the table."
She was first elected to Surrey council in 1996, became mayor in 2005 and served as such until stepping into the federal realm in 2015.
Watts earned praise for her handling of affairs in Surrey, which endured demographic pressures few Canadian municipalities can understand. Its population was growing in sustained numbers while most other B.C. communities were shrinking. It became one of the most ethnically diverse and age diverse cities in the country, yet the social and physical infrastructure progressed.
After being in Parliament for the past two years, she also brings experience with large-scale governance.
Looking at the B.C. context, she sees a lot of things being done right by her party of choice. She noted the successive surplus budgets and an economy that stood tall on the national stage as positive indications of strength.
"But you don't lose that many seats in one area if you are listening," Watts said. "The north is closer to that economic activity that was driving the province, so those seats stayed with the BC Liberals, and for good reason, but the loses in the Lower Mainland happened because we got away from directly applying the surplus budgets in the way communities need. The whole reason you strive as a government for a strong economy is to invest in tomorrow's economy. That means paying close attention to the needs of each city and town. We had a $2.7-billion surplus, and yet in Prince George your hospital needs a big upgrade. Terrace needs a hospital upgrade. The Lower Mainland has transportation and housing issues to address. We have a provincial debt to pay down. Those things weren't getting done, and it wasn't for lack of willpower, it was just a disconnect in communication. I think, with my background, I can keep that communication flowing and I have a keen understanding of how each community has its own needs to be met, so we can all participate in a strong economy."
Reinvesting in communities, if done correctly, leads to more economic positivity down the road, she said. With her experience in a city loaded in heavy industry and natural resources (she cited the shipping sector and the agriculture sector as examples), she believes she can bring a clear vision for the future to the position of BC Liberal leader.
Watts will be back in Prince George next Saturday for this city's B.C. Liberal Leadership Forum. A public debate, free of charge, will be held Nov. 4 at 10:30 a.m. at the Coast Inn of the North.
