This past weekend, two politicians, Sam Sullivan and Dianne Watts, declared their intentions to be the next leader of the BC Liberal party. Expect that number to be as many as 8-10 by the time the smoke clears in the next couple of weeks.
As much as I may want to list the candidates and their credentials, it is not more important to ask ‘What do you want’ from your next BC Liberal Leader?
There will be a large amount of ‘Here is what I can do for you’ and ‘We are on a good path, here’s how I can make it better’ type of hype coming. How do you separate fact from fallacy?
That part will take patience. You are going to hear a lot over the next few months as the Liberals position themselves for a February get together to anoint the next leader. As opposed to listening and taking what these hopefuls are saying at face value, ask them the tough questions.
How do you propose to take care of affordable housing, the drug crisis, education, health care, infrastructure, marijuana legalization, affordability…I can go on. You need to find a leader that handles not just one or two of these questions well, but can address all of them. Not be an expert in all of them, but know that they all need to be addressed.
The measure of a good leader is not all that they know, but how well they can lead their group in finding all of the solutions. If the next leader cannot communicate with their party and get them in the right direction, how on Earth will they relate to you and I?
The race has just begun. It is a marathon, not a sprint, so don’t expect any quick answers.