Lee prescribes fresh start for B.C. Liberals
B.C. Liberal leadership candidate Michael Lee, who has emerged as a surprise contender in the race for the party’s leadership, told a small audience of party supporters in Prince George that the party is in need of renewal on Friday evening.
Lee, who won his first term in the riding of VancouverLangara last May, has signed up the largest number of new members to the B.C. Liberal Party since the beginning of the leadership race. His campaign has focused on portraying him as a fresh voice in the party, distinct from more established names such as former cabinet ministers Mike de Jong, Todd Stone and Andrew Wilkinson. His Friday night event in a ballroom at the Coast Inn of the North gathered a modest number – roughly 15 – of curious party members.
Lee touted his success in signing up new members as a key antidote for the woes of the party in the most recent election.
“Someone like myself, who’s new to the B.C. Liberal caucus, was able to attract with the team I’ve put together – a strong coalition – the most number of new members to this party. I think that says something about where we are as a party right now and the need for someone new and different,” Lee said in an interview with The Citizen.
Lee did not reveal the exact number of new members his campaign has signed up, but acknowledged that his campaign and that of former Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts accounted for 20,000 of the 31,000 new member sign-ups. He said most of his new sign-ups have been registered to vote, and that his campaign leads other candidates in its support from young voters and millennials.
Lee denied that he has any deal with any other candidate in the race. He said more established candidates have not succeeded in generating the momentum necessary to win the next election.
“It demonstrates that the current leadership of our party as represented by others in this race, aren’t exciting people as much as you would hope,” he said.
But Lee will face a challenge if his supporters are concentrated in Lower Mainland ridings. The B.C. Liberal leadership contest will be decided based on a proportional voting system, in which each riding is given equal voting power. Lee did not provide details of where his votes were concentrated, but said he had strength in the regions of Prince George, the Okanagan, parts of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
Of the party members who attended Lee’s event, several indicated that they were still making up their minds.
In terms of policy, Lee emphasized support for resource development in the north, and pledged to remove a tax on LNG exports. He stressed the need to establish the LNG industry in cooperation with First Nations communities.
Lee also stressed the need for an improved regime of wildlife management, with a more data-centric approach.
“I know that there’s hunters and guide outfitters and others who want to see that done properly and I believe that we can do that if we put the resources into it and become more innovative and more responsible for it,” he said.
On healthcare, Lee acknowledged the demand for more locally based healthcare professionals. He noted that many have been advocating for a dedicated, completely in-house training program for physiotherapists at UNBC.
“I can see that being important to ensure that this community has those important professionals who can be trained here and hopefully either will reside and practice here,” he said.
B.C. Liberal Party members will elect a leader over a three-day period from Feb. 1-3. Votes will be cast online or by phone.